DearS New Contact
by Perentie Fan
Summary: A sort of epilogue for the series. Ren and Takeya are set to start a incredible new life together. However, one important issue remains to be dealt with. Can they take the final step to cement their bond, and what will the consequences be?
1. Chapter 1: Complication

DearS: New Contact

**DearS: New Contact**

Disclaimer: Despite rumors to the contrary that may or may not exist, I don't own DearS

This one shot takes place immediately after the final events of the DearS manga so be warned as there are many spoilers for the entire series. I also use the anime for reference to some extra material except when that material contradicts the manga. I wrote this fanfic mainly to provide a bit more closure to the series, though I may make more DearS stories if inspiration happens to strike me. Regardless I hope readers enjoy this addition to the DearS fanfiction.

Before you read this it should be noted that though I don't go into particularly great detail compared to some hardcore lemons out there, much of this story does focus on Ren and Takeya's desire to consummate and the results of it. Of course much of the manga and anime also focuses on things like this, so really I'm _forced _to write this stuff to keep everyone in character. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Initially I will be rating the story T but it will change to M by the fourth chapter.

"Quotes" Normal speech and quoted speech

'Quotes' Quotes within quotes

_Italics_ Thoughts and specially emphasized words

--

Chapter One: Complication

--

Io tried her best to ignore the group, cringing a bit at the immensity of the lustful, perverse impulses of energy her fellow DearS were emitting. The complete synchrony of the individuals involved had amplified the feelings so much that they nearly overwhelmed her empathetic senses.

The purple-haired Watcher did not stay annoyed long though, she had her own concerns to focus on. _What will you do now, Takeya…now that you are running out of excuses? You must claim Ren as yours completely, and soon if we are to avoid a potential crisis._ Sensing a wellspring of resolution about to burst in the young man, she turned her attention back to the odd scene.

"Now hold on a second here!" Takeya yelled as he struggled to free himself from the embraces of the strong and quite passionate alien women surrounding him, each saying something weird about making babies. "If I ever…" he blushed and stammered, "um, d-did anything like that with anyone it would be with Ren!"

The DearS all stared at him in shock, finally releasing their grips. He stood and glared at them. "And when did I ever agree to making babies in the first place?! I'm not ready for anything like that!" His blush increased all the more when he recounted his words. Had he really just said what he thought he'd said about Ren?

Io raised an eyebrow, knowing that after an admission like that something big was bound to happen. Yet his last words had disturbed her slightly. _If the Gate is to use him, I suppose he will need to understand more thoroughly just how DearS reproduce._

Around Takeya the first one to react was Ren, who latched onto him with even more fervor, nuzzling him and crying his name out excitably. She had not registered anything past his declaration of making babies with her before her mind drifted into Takeya-induced bliss.

China meanwhile stepped aside and sat cross-legged, pouting a bit but not really upset as she had expected this to happen and wasn't all that serious in her own offer to him. She simply loved seeing Takeya flustered. It was too funny!

Nia, on the other hand, just shrugged and with a happy cry of "nii!" bounded off and out of the room to find something else to focus her fickle attention-span on.

Miu, however, was another matter entirely, and the expression on her face made Takeya's heart sink. It was enough to even bring Ren out of her reverie and look at her fellow DearS in concern. He took a tentative step toward her, "Miu… I… it's not like I don't like you… I just…" he tried to think of something comforting but nothing more came, just what was he supposed to say?

Miu now spoke with a bitter smile marring her beautiful face, "I guess it was foolish of me to even considerate it," she remarked seemingly to herself. "Takeya-sama… I knew you had chosen Ren-san, I'd accepted that… but then you decided to come with us and I guess I…" she added, now with a frown, the spiteful edge to her voice turning sad. "I guess I hoped you might be able to love me too while loving her." She wrapped her arms around herself, looking the very image of forlorn.

At this Takeya found his voice again. "I'm sorry Miu… where you come from maybe that all makes sense, maybe I'm just ignorant or something… but to be with two women, with different feelings toward each of them, I really don't think I could deal with that. I don't think it would be fair to Ren or you either, do you?"

Miu seemed uncertain at first of how to respond, but then appeared to regain her confident presence. "As a DearS, I shouldn't care whether or not I have to share a master, it shouldn't matter."

Her strong, proud tone wavered, as she seemed to consider certain emotions and thoughts stirring within her. "And yet… because of the affection we seek from our masters, because of the love we desire, it somehow does matter. If I'm really truthful with myself, I know my pride could never let me stand being second to Ren as a slave. To be the most valued one by the master, more prized, well-treated and beloved than anything else, it would seem that is the deepest desire of any DearS. More than that, I feel as though I would want your love even if I could never be your slave."

Miu lowered her head and looked thoughtful, "It is strange when one thinks about it… that a race of slaves can be so selfish… we really are like parasites, struggling to cling to what we want even when its clear we aren't wanted."

"It's not that simple, nor is it directly related to any parasitic aspects we may have" came Io's voice in monotone as she entered the conversation, not bothering to look back at them. "Polygamous relationships simply tend to have inherent problems regardless of who one is. Even across alien cultures they often foster strife and jealousy more than the affection DearS require to thrive. That is one reason why having multiple slaves in a household fell out of a favor among our former masters, the inevitable competing and jealousy among the DearS led to a decrease in their effectiveness as slaves. Such situations often led to the slaves becoming more focused on outdoing each other than on truly pleasing their masters. Conversely, single slaves are able to devote themselves entirely to serving the master's wants and needs, without concern for what another slave will do or not do."

At this Takeya recalled the time that Miu had convinced herself that her feelings meant she shared the Gift with him just as Ren did, and how upset Ren had become over it. Her adamant refusal to the very idea of anyone but her being Takeya's slave had caused one of the first true blushes he'd ever seen from her. It had actually been a rather cute reaction now that he thought about it, Ren being as shocked as anyone at her own words, as they were based on emotions she herself didn't fully understand yet. But as he pondered that, he noticed Io was staring at him with some intensity. He cringed a bit, he couldn't help but find this girl who had nearly wiped out the human race to be a little creepy.

"Now that this issue is settled, there is another matter you must consider Takeya," she remarked. "What of your earlier words concerning Ren, will you truly accept the responsibilities that being partnered with the Gate will incur? Are you prepared to give all of what your chosen role requires and provide the seed for our future?"

Takeya took a moment to figure out just what the heck Io had said and flushed when he got the gist of it. He responded with the first thing that came to mind. A scathing retort. "Hey look, what do you expect from me? What I do or don't do with Ren isn't any of your business!"

"And I don't see how things have been settled with Miu," he added as he looked at her briefly, she seemed to be putting up a strong front to hide her feelings, as Takeya had come to understand she often did. Ren took his hand, unsure of what to say as her own feelings on the responsibility Io mentioned seemed to differ from Takeya's but still she wanted to support him.

Io's expression hardened, her stoic voice gaining an intimidating edge. "Actually it is very much my business. Also, you do not have the luxury of time, our species is still at great risk of extinction. Obviously this isn't a comfortable topic for you, but I honestly don't care about the whims of your ego. Regardless of what changes have come over our species the Gate remains our only proven method of reproduction, and it is clear Ren will not accept anyone but you for that purpose."

Io's voice became even more stern, silencing an attempt by Takeya to interrupt and convincing everyone else to stay quiet. "Takeya, come with me, it is time we spoke at length on this, in private. I do not believe there is anything more you can say that will improve the situation with Miu, so it is time you became more aware of your new responsibilities."

"Responsibilities?" Takeya groaned, frustrated and at a loss for words. Finally he sighed in resignation, _what else can I do?_ He didn't want to have this conversation, but at the same time he knew he couldn't avoid it forever.

After reassuring Ren he would be okay and would just meet up with her later in their room, he gave Miu an apologetic look and shambled toward Io. He proceeded to follow her as she left the control room and entered a deserted hallway, the walls quietly humming from the energy coursing through the ship.

Imagining a funeral dirge in the background, he briefly took stock of his situation. Here he was it seemed, about to talk to the DearS leader about his 'responsibility' to have sex with Ren.

Frankly he'd rather get buried in the sand with high tide coming in. Again.

--

Notes:

Well, I never expected this to be the first story I'd put up after my years-long break. Not that it was really a break, its just that a number of stories I've done only ever got partly done, like the various sequels to my Sailor Moon series I had planned. The inspiration simply died away and as my interest expanded to other anime I again and again got stories started but never seemed to have enough inspiration or desire to complete them. Not that I've given up on them, but I don't intend to release any story until I get at least a fairly large proportion done, and so can make no promises regarded any future story releases.

So here it is, it just so happens that of the many stories I've started over time this is one I actually have finished. I'll give this chapter and the next a couple days to attract attention before I post the third one. Feel free to critique me in reviews.

Also, I want to make clear that my story's depiction of Miu and Ren is in no way intended to insult Mercaba's depiction of them in the fanfic Understanding (wherein both of them end up with Takeya). Indeed I drew some inspiration from that story. This is just my interpretation of how things likely went after the manga ended.


	2. Chapter 2: Consultation

**DearS: New Contact**

Disclaimer: Despite rumors to the contrary that may or may not exist, I don't own DearS

"Quotes" = Normal speech and quoted speech

'Quotes' = Quotes within quotes

_Italics_ = Thoughts and specially emphasized words

---

Chapter Two: Consultation

---

As Takeya left, Ren turned to Miu, her expression still concerned. "Miu…"

Miu gave her a forced smile, her long pink locks twisting behind her as she turned to the blue-haired DearS. Even so, her eyes clearly shimmered with unshed tears. "Look, don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine! You really think I'd let all this bring me down?"

Ren knew it was a lie, she could feel all too strongly the painful pinch in her chest, the sadness of another translated into physical feeling by her empathic abilities. Yet she said nothing. She wasn't sure what she could say. Miu was always so strong, so smart and skilled, Ren had always looked up to her. To see her in such a broken state left her at a loss for words.

Miu wasn't done with her retort. She choked back the tears, wiping away the few traitors that escaped down her cheeks. "I may not be the great and mighty Gate or possess a Gift but I still have my pride as a DearS and I don't want your pity!" She put a hand to her mouth in a silent gasp, realizing her words held more spite than she'd intended to show.

Ren looked down to try to hide her hurt expression, "Ren wasn't trying to give pity, Ren just-"

"I'm sorry," Miu interrupted abruptly, her voice straining to keep from breaking into a sob. "I know you care about me Ren-san, I just… I'm feeling a lot of things right now. I need to get them sorted out before I can really talk about this. So… just let me be alone for a while, okay? I think that would be best." Miu turned to leave out a door to a corridor that Io and Takeya had not used.

Ren's expression brightened, "Then Ren and Miu can talk later, yes?"

Despite herself, Miu smiled a bit at her fellow Dears' genuine mirth. "Yes… we certainly will," she answered softly, not looking back at Ren but pausing as the door opened before her. "Ren-san… don't let worrying about me get in the way, just work to make Takeya-sama happy, happier than he's ever been before. I really do mean that. He deserves it and so do you."

Ren still felt her sadness but could also sense Miu was sincere, and so she nodded, her eyes set with resolve. "Ren will."

For a few seconds Miu was silent, busy gauging her own emotional reaction and the seriousness of Ren's words. At last she let out a quiet sigh, glad to be at peace with the situation, even if healing remained to be done. "Thank you, Ren-san," she remarked barely loud enough to be heard, then stepped into the hall, her form being blocked from sight as the doors sealed shut behind her.

China, sitting discreetly nearby, listened with interest. She didn't really enjoy conflict, but as a Zero Number, locked in a dormant state for most of her life, she was glad to simply be able to experience anything. Besides, learning as much as she could about interacting with others could help one day in her search for her own master and lover. Not to mention she found Miu and Ren endlessly entertaining these days, the stark differences between them making their every interaction fascinating.

Speaking of entertaining sights, China noticed Ren seemed to be psyching herself up. Her fists were raised and balled, her eyes set in concentration. "Yes!" she declared with an abruptness that had China falling out of her seat in surprise, "Ren will do it! Ren will grasp the future with her own hands! Ren will make Takeya happy! Ren will make Ren happy! Ren will do it for Takeya, Ren will do it for Ren, Ren will do it for love… because… because love will SAVE THE UNIVERSE!" she raised a fist high in emphasis.

China could only watch in bewilderment as Ren nodded to herself. She wondered if even Ren thought that this statement, which was fast becoming her new motto, actually made any sense. The universe wasn't in danger was it? And if it was then her sleeping with Takeya certainly wouldn't save it, would it? She shrugged as Ren exited out into a third corridor with a happy skip, _whatever works I guess…_

---

A short walk later, Io had paused at a control panel, a few taps of her fingers bringing up a three-dimensional hologram of the ship. Dozens of small red squares were shown within the maze of chambers and hallways that snaked through the scale image of the huge saucer they rode in. Takeya leaned against the opposite wall, intent on letting every bit of his displeasure show.

"You see those," she stated more than asked, indicating to the red blips. "Each one represents a DearS life sign, and aside from those who remained on Earth they are all there is, the only DearS remaining in all the vastness of this universe. Because of Fina's reluctance to destroy the host race our kind served during her reign as Watcher, we have been reduced to this, a mere fragment of what we once were."

She turned to glare at him. "If you truly love Ren, then you must mate with her if for no other reason than to save her species from extinction. She is our future, our one certain hope, yet you would judge my desire for my kind to survive as a petty problem?" She shut off the hologram and turned back to him.

Her words gave Takeya pause, but he soon argued back with renewed resolve. "Look, I do love Ren. I've admitted that, but that doesn't mean I want to go along with this. If I do anything with Ren I want it to be because I want it and she wants it, because I care about her, not because I have some kind of duty to the DearS race. I know that's selfish, and its not like I don't care about your situation, but I don't think you have a right to just demand this of me or try to guilt me into it."

"Besides," he continued, "what about all that stuff you said earlier about how all DearS can have babies now? You should focus on the others instead of trying to push this on me and Ren."

Io frowned at this and became ever sterner. "Firstly, aren't you the one who claimed I was 'making things up'? The truth is I am. The evidence for DearS all being fertile now is circumstantial only. There is no test to determine a DearS' fertility as we have never had a need for one before, and a human's would not be reliable for our race. What would you do in my place Takeya? Would you risk your race's future on a hypothesis, or would you go for facts?"

It seemed she did not expect him to answer as she promptly continued on. "Secondly, do you really think love and duty have no place with one another, that they do not intermingle at all? Is it not true that your kind engage in sex both for pleasure and to add to your species? DearS are not so different in this matter. In reality, in order for the Gate to flourish what you speak of wanting is in fact necessary. A Gate that mates with a partner that does not care for her will never produce the progeny she is truly capable of. Both her life span and the vitality of her offspring will be effected."

The Watcher folded her arms and sighed as she thought about how to make her point clearer. "Our link between our emotions and health is one of the most vital aspects of what a Dears is. As I have found in the records kept by my predecessor Fina, along with the war our former host race engaged in, our numbers also became depleted due to the deterioration of the previous Gate. She could find no proper consort, eventually fell ill from the emotional neglect, and perished in solitude. The same could happen to Ren if you cease to be the partner she needs."

Takeya's expression hardened, "That won't happen. I won't let it. And it seems pretty stupid to me that it happened before. If your host race was killing you why didn't you leave earlier? Its obvious they didn't love you. Why did you even come to a race like that to begin with?"

"It's not as simple as that. They did love us, or at least some did. But over the generations all but a few of our hosts came to see us as nothing more than things. Those among them that disagreed were widely mistreated and killed once the war began in order to create more unity in the very real crisis. Miu's master was one of the victims, though Miu was unaware of the larger events that spurred his murder." Takeya's eyes widened at this revelation.

"It doesn't help that many DearS will claim to be nothing more than things and allow themselves to be subjected to abuse. One reason they do is because many came to lack a full understanding of how mistreatment and hatred effects us, how a lack of love weakens our bodies and our immune system until eventually we die. Even those who do understand may serve a cruel master rather than no one. For DearS to be loved is essential for us to thrive, but the desire to serve another is even greater." Takeya's frown remained but he had to admit her explanation did make some sense.

"So you see, we DearS loved that race though it had ceased to love us. We continued to serve them rather than lose them, just as you would no doubt eat food that made you sick in preference to not eating at all. It was a blind love, and even the Watcher was effected. Over generations this host race effected us to the point that we ceased to understand what love was, even though we needed it. We became the DearS who landed on your world, many of us cold and unfeeling, caring only for our capacity to serve as that was all that mattered to our former host. Little did most know how believing such things was slowly leading to our demise."

"Yet the love that remained in us is also to blame in some senses. I have read from her accounts that Lady Fina was loath to use our weapon of last resort even when she knew it was necessary. Indeed, her hesitation is one reason why so few DearS survived. Our host race was destroying themselves in a terrible war, and our kind were going down with them. We died by the thousands simply because we could not endure the hatred that had so completely engulfed that world."

Io sighed. "In the end Fina did destroy our host race, a fact that was kept from most of the few remaining DearS, largely fairly young ones who were led to believe our former masters had no use for us anymore and forced us to leave. And now, because I have put my trust in you and Ren, our situation stands to become as perilous as it was then."

Takeya looked away, unconvinced. "But I still don't see why it has to be this way. With all your technology there has to be something else you can do."

"Unfortunately there is not. Artificial insemination is not even an option. The Gate requires the stimulation of mating with a real, physical, organic male of another race to become fertile in the first place. Only then do the processes within her that allow reproduction even become functional. Until then she is as useless for breeding as one of your automobiles is for driving if it has a dead battery."

"How can you say things so coldly like that? We aren't talking about objects! And who says its my responsibility to fix things?! " Takeya snapped, angry again.

Io didn't react except to cross her arms and frown. "Lets move past these diversions, I tire of them. You have never been the aloof, selfish man you try so hard to appear as. I believe the truth of the matter is that ultimately you are reluctant to consummate with Ren because you are afraid. You know yourself and so you know the only way you'll be able to go through with it is if you dedicate yourself fully to Ren for the rest of your life, and the thought of that commitment scares you. In the past you have gone to great efforts to deny the connection you share with Ren, and now you are doing it again. You admit you love Ren, yet a part of you still wants to play it safe so you can run if things go wrong."

"No!" Takeya cried back, "I wouldn't do that! I'm done running away, that's what I promised myself when I went to stop Ren from leaving on that shuttle!"

"Indeed you have stopped running," Io agreed in a mocking tone, "only to end up standing still. You are searching for any excuse not to move forward, and you are now using the plight of our race as a scapegoat for your cowardice!" Takeya was stunned silent for a moment at the sight of Io actually yelling, the girl normally didn't raise her voice much above a stern whisper.

It only took a few seconds for the leader of the DearS to regain her composure. "I recently met with Ren, and we discussed this topic at length. Thus I am aware that some time ago, that first night she attempted to satisfy your desires, you would have likely allowed her to had she said she felt love for you. Now she has said this, and so have you. She desires you greatly, and because she is a DearS your current refusal to address the issue hurts her as much as any slap in the face. She is resigned to wait, but for what and for how long? For us to return to Earth? For you to find your career? For your world to remake its laws to allow our two races to marry? If nothing else, I ask that you consider this Takeya, is there truly any good reason anymore for you to wait except for your own fears?"

Takeya's face fell. "You make it sound like it's so easy, like I can just decide to do it and that's it."

Now Io cocked her head a bit in confusion. "Is it not? From what I understand most of the act is fairly straightforward and instinctual. You need not worry about skill or technique, the DearS find the process of copulation pleasing provided that the host is not violent toward them, and you need not concern yourself about causing her 'virgin pains.' DearS anatomy is different from humans in that aspect."

"Moreover, as an extension of our being ideally suited for serving, we DearS are designed and programmed to make sexual activity easy and pleasurable as possible," she lectured in monotone as though speaking from a physics textbook. "This is even more true for those who bear a Gift. The empathic link such pairs share allows them to achieve among the highest levels of pleasure possible during coitus. That is, if you fear not knowing how to please her best, you'll find that to not be an issue so long as you open your mind to her. Once synchronized both of you will know exactly what the other desires you to do as soon as it is thought. Or at least, that is what is said among the various legends concerning the Gift."

At this point Takeya was considering bashing his head against the nearest wall until he knocked himself unconscious, anything to escape the embarrassment this topic brought. He frankly didn't care that she was addressing concerns he had indeed had. But knowing Io, it wouldn't work. She would probably just wait beside him until he woke up, call him an idiot, and then start speaking where she had left off.

And so his frustrated blush returned. "That's not what I mean about it not being easy! I have my own dreams about this! About what I want it to be like! For it to be perfect! I don't see how hurtling through space to who-knows-where with a bunch of aliens can be the perfect time for something like that!"

Io sighed, "you're already living what many of your peers would consider a incredible sexual fantasy."

"And who said I wanted that?!" Takeya yelled, waving his arms in emphasis. "Just because something is fun to fantasize about doesn't mean I'd actually want it to be real!" For a moment he considered how confusing and twisted the world would be if all his more erotic dreams became real. For one, even though he wasn't at all romantically inclined toward Mitsuka it still didn't keep the sex-crazed teacher (or at least certain parts of her) from finding her way into a wet dream or two.

Io barely reacted and continued as soon as Takeya had completed his outburst. "Regardless, if you continue to wait for something as illusionary as this supposed 'perfect' time to just come, you will only be wasting many other times you could have cherished. There is no such thing as true perfection for anyone in any world, and if you want a semblance of it you must be the one to find it and accept it. Only through one's own initiative can something worthwhile be created, is this not true?"

"Beyond this there is another important matter we must discuss," Io continued as Takeya continued to glare daggers and grumble but still listened. "You see Takeya, should you take up your responsibility as her mate there are a number of other factors you will have to accept. It is only fair that this be explained to you in detail, so listen well. For starters, you will indeed merely be the donor, any resulting children will not be yours but belong to the community as a whole."

"Also, the offspring would carry almost none of your genetic material as the Gate is meant to solely procreate DearS, and as the only fertile member of our race she is adapted to be capable of achieving conception with most any male humanoid of any species. Your genetic material would largely act only as a catalyst to alter the DearS DNA enough to prevent inbreeding and would not be incorporated in the half-and-half manner of your race. In the past this has been an asset, allowing our Masters to not worry about taking any responsibility for caring for the children produced should they have a Gate as a slave. Also beneficial is the Gate's natural ability to prevent fertilization or delay it by merely willing it, and thus have complete control over when and where reproduction is successful."

"As you are no doubt aware, DearS do not have families in the human sense of the word. Rather we are raised by the community and grow much more quickly than humans due to the nature of our life cycle. Should Ren become pregnant she will within days produce multiple small eggs, which will in turn be incubated within our facilities to complete their fetal development. Depending on the need these eggs will produce infants designed to be Sheep or Biters, and toward the end of a given generation, a Gate and a Watcher.

Takeya raised an eyebrow skeptically, which seemed to tick Io off a bit, though a slight twitch of the girl's eyebrow was the only visible reaction. "Don't look surprised that our young would be born in a state where mechanical incubators are needed. In the worlds we come from technology is far more ancient than on your world and we are among a number of species who have had our organic bodies evolve to take advantage of it. Now, as I was saying…"

Takeya continued to listen, trying not to show how bored he was becoming as it seemed to only make Io talk more. He knew it was important, but like too many school teachers she seemed to have a knack for making things uninteresting. It may have been her monotone voice, it gave the impression even she was bored by her speech.

She at last moved on to the next part of the DearS growth cycle. "Once reaching a certain age, which varies somewhat according to the individual, we enter a stage that resembles the chrysalis or pupa made by some of your world's insects and surround our bodies in a silken cocoon for a variable period of time. It is during this stage that much of the programming we are born with is fine-tuned and enhanced so that when we emerge as adults we are prepared for the tasks that await us, be we Sheep, Biters, Barkers or Watchers. Sometimes the programming is innately flawed though, creating Zero numbers, as our Gate, Ren, was made to appear to be in order to keep her importance hidden from potential enemies."

"Of course," Io corrected, "some of what I am saying may no longer be accurate. Ren's experiences have altered all of us in ways no one could have predicted. It is already apparent that our life spans have lengthened from the former average, though just how long we can live now is unknown. Then there are the Zero Numbers, who were never as flawed as they were believed to be. Rather they may simply be a new path our evolution is taking us. Regardless it remains that the best course of action would be for you to achieve intercourse with Ren."

Notcing how Takeya crigned as the topic turned back to sex, Io now tried to lighten her tone. There was no sense in being too stern with him. "I cannot force you to consummate, even if I tried to Ren would object and that stress would mar her reproductive ability. However, know this Takeya, I was very serious about the effect it could have on Ren if you make her wait too long and fail to be the partner she needs. Now that she's awoken to her true identity as The Gate and has had her feelings reciprocated by you, her own needs as a DearS have risen accordingly. She's fine for now, but in time if her desire to mate with you is not met, it will cause her significantly more mental and physiological stress than it did earlier in your relationship."

Takeya, now at full attention, looked incredulous. "Are you telling me that Ren will die if I don't sleep with her?"

"No, that will happen only if she is hated by you for an extended period of time. I am merely saying that her health will be effected, as will her emotional well-being, and at worst her life span could be shortened. DearS need the love of their host to thrive, the Gate especially so. She has your love, but because you hold so much of your feelings back and fail to appease her own desire for you, it is not a perfect union of master and slave, or rather, if you dislike those terms, of mates. Being bonded by a Gift makes it all the more important that you maintain emotional harmony. It wouldn't matter as much if you didn't desire Ren physically, but since you do your conflicting words and feelings wreak havoc with her empathic senses. If nothing is done about it then psychological damage will be inevitable."

Takeya glared at her, his anger now returning full force. He hated how guilty Io was making him feel, guilt was the last reason he wanted to have for being with Ren. "So I should resign myself to basically being a sperm donor for an alien race and making a bunch of babies who I won't even be mine? How can you expect me to agree to that?!"

"Because you have already agreed to it," she stated with no emotion.

Takeya was stunned silent and Io took it as a reason to continue. "When you faced the choice to go after Ren or pursue your other prospective mates, you ultimately chose Ren. You told her you loved her, knowing full well that she is not human, that being with her meant your life would never be normal. I am merely revealing what you already accepted in your heart. Your mind on the other hand continues to be stubborn and cling to innumerable 'what ifs'."

She pointed at him in emphasis. "Do you see now? These are simply the hard facts about what being with a Gate means for you Takeya. You must either accept those facts or reject being Ren's mate. If you cannot do that, then there is no future for you or Ren here. The life of a normal human couple is just not possible for you. Perhaps one day you will help Ren evolve to a form where you can raise a family, but as you yourself said earlier you aren't ready to raise children, and neither is she. So concern yourself with the needs of the here and now, which are to give Ren the proof of your eternal devotion, to give of your body and your soul."

Takeya stared at her silent for some time, his expression unreadable when he finally spoke. "Is that all you have to say to me Io?" Io seemed a bit surprised at how calmly Takeya answered, but nodded in the affirmative.

Takeya turned his back to her and started to walk away, pausing moments later to speak. "I'm not agreeing to anything. If Ren and I decide to do this then it will be our decision, not yours. Regardless, I won't run away, I promise you that much. I'm going to stay with Ren, no matter what the future is for us, and I'm going to make her happy. I'll be damned if she suffers anymore because of me."

Io watched him go and sighed as he entered another hallway and the doors closed behind him. "Stupid human… always trying to sound tough." She turned to head back to the control room, her thoughts no longer so troubled. She had done what she could. She would have to just trust the bond between he and Ren that was the Gift would ensure things would be as they should be once the pair truly understood each other's feelings.

_Who would have thought it'd be so hard to get an adolescent male to have sex…_ she thought to herself as she walked, _but then again, perhaps that is one reason he is the perfect mate for Ren. He is one who is certain to never use her for his own selfish ends._

---

Notes:

Please note that I've tried my best to be accurate to the DearS world, but still had to infer or guess about some of the things in this story. Even so, I freely welcome any criticisms to my portrayal of the characters and story.

More specifically I'll note that most of my description of DearS reproduction is entirely of my own making aside from what little is revealed in the manga. I decided to have them lay eggs, be raised by the community, and such due to their various insect-like characteristics, in particular social insects like ants and wasps. When I say 'insect-like characteristics' I refer to:

Their various labor casts (Sheep, Dogs, Biters and such being similar to things like the Workers and Soldiers of social insects).

How they seem to grow quickly and go through a cocoon stage before becoming adults (much like any insect with complete metamorphosis),

Having only one member of the colony be fertile (their "Gate" being similar to an ant colony's "queen").

Various small things, like Io's name being the scientific name for a type of beautiful moth, the antennae-like hair of many of the Dears etc. Admittedly the latter has just as much to do with the classic image of aliens with antennae.

In addition, I had the host species be the sperm donor because Io made no mention in the manga of the Gate being able to be made pregnant by male DearS. She only stated that The Gate was the only one capable of reproducing, which would indicate all other DearS including all the males are fully sterile, or were until the end of the series when Ren's awakening began to change them.


	3. Chapter 3: Consideration

DearS: New Contact

**DearS: New Contact**

Disclaimer: Despite rumors to the contrary that may or may not exist, I don't own DearS

"Quotes" Normal speech and quoted speech

'Quotes' Quotes within quotes

_Italics_ Thoughts and specially emphasized words

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Chapter Three: Consideration

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Takeya's mind was far from settled as he walked, or more accurately stomped, along, his patented frustrated frown firmly in place. Yet being angry like this was as stressful as it was boring and he soon began venting his annoyed state to the empty space around him. "Well that was definitely a conversation I'm sure no human has ever had before!" he rolled his eyes. "Along with possibly the most uncomfortable conversation I've ever had," he remarked in a quieter tone.

He suddenly threw his arms up for effect. Takeya would never admit it but he was a naturally dramatic person. "Why is it that every step of my life has to be decided on like some damned multiple choice exam?! Why can't anything just happen on its own?"

Still seething, he stuck his hands in his pockets and paced back and forth. "But no, that'd be too normal! Instead I get a assignment to sleep with my girlfriend!" He paused, a blush coming to his face. It was one of the first times he'd ever out loud acknowledged Ren as his girlfriend, even to himself. The term seemed too limiting, too childish for his taste and just didn't seem to match what Ren was to him.

Then again he'd always had trouble defining what he and Ren were. No one word seemed to fit well enough. Family had been a name he decided on relatively early, but one definitely wasn't supposed to feel the things he felt for Ren if they were family. His face flushed further as his thoughts turned to the incident in Ren's closet seemingly so long ago that had made him realize this. He was eternally thankful to any deity he could think of that Khi had been the only one to see them.

Lover? Master? Friend? He was supposedly all these thing to Ren and more, yet they all, especially master, seemed to lack something. So why had what he just said made him feel so warm and even, dare he say, giddy?

His. That had been it. He realized it had felt nice to call her that. His. He never thought he'd be attracted to such a possessive term, to own Ren was the last thing he wanted. Yet he also felt a great pleasure of thinking of himself as Ren's. Belonging. Belonging with, not to, someone. Perhaps that was it. When it came right down to it he had long ago decided he wanted to be with Ren. No matter how hard or crazy things became that had ended up being a constant, even through all the times he'd been cruel to her, all the times he had nearly lost her and all the times she'd caused him problems or embarrassment. They really did belong together, it was the only explanation.

They belonged with each other and to each other. He wanted to be hers, she wanted to be his. If he followed that thought it led to the same conclusion that Io wanted, and that he knew Ren wanted. Perhaps that was the important thing and everything else was just a distraction. Still it was hard to get past the confusion in his head. As he considered this he stopped his idle walk and looked around, trying to get his bearings.

For even though he'd spent a good deal of time in it Takeya was still not fully familiar with the ship's layout. It was huge, with many rooms and endless corridors that connected in all sorts of confusing ways. Thus he could do little but head in what he knew was the general direction of his and Ren's room and narrow things down from there.

It wasn't long before Takeya had found himself in the spacious room lined with tables that served as the dining area for the DearS. He recalled learning about how it all worked when Io had given them a short tour of the ship. He had learned from her, and was quite thankful, that the DearS technology could synthesize most any food, including melon bread. Ren had been in near hysterics when she realized she couldn't possibly take enough with her to last the whole trip, and though her resolution to stay with Takeya had never wavered the prospect of being without her favorite food was still upsetting.

This was followed by Ren synthesizing some real melons and finding out, much to her surprise (she at first thought it was a malfunction), that melons in fact did not contain small samples of melon bread inside them as she had theorized. To soothe his own guilt for not telling her and thus causing this embarrassing incident Takeya reassured her it was a good theory when one considered what she had to work with. Ren had read the emotions behind his words and happily embraced him, Takeya indulging her need for physical affection as further apology and hoping she wouldn't make an issue of his reaction to her own impressive melons pressing against him. He blushed and continued his train of thought.

Takeya had subsequently learned that Ren and Nia's tendency to consume oddly large amounts of food was quite normal for a DearS, most were just more subtle in their feeding habits around humans. One result of the alien's large appetites was that a substantial amount of their ship's energy was spent operating the food synthesizers. In short, DearS' simply required more food than humans of the same size to function at their best. Io said this was because of their higher metabolisms, which in turn were needed for the enhanced physical abilities being an ideal slave required, whether it be to protect the master from harm or do tasks a normal slave could not do.

However, while learning such things was interesting, Takeya himself was mostly just happy he didn't have to live off some alien dish. Thinking about Ren's early example of a meal made to suit a DearS' tastes still made him feel queasy. He left the room, passing a pair of Zero Numbers talking excitedly about things he would consider mundane, brushing hair, bathing, normal sleep etc. Being locked up in a capsule cut off from the world for most of your life tended to have that kind of effect. He was happy they were at last free to live their lives as fully as they could. The Zero Number's so called 'defective' nature had turned out to be simply a greater propensity to grasp their own independent thoughts and desires than other DearS.

It was an entertaining route at least, Takeya passing by and through various rooms used by the DearS for various functions. Early on he ended up accidentally opening the door to one of the DearS bizarre 'toilets.' He used the term loosely because it looked nothing like a toilet, and was rather a large white room with a odd dark hole shape on one wall. He had of course used these restrooms but even now wasn't sure how they worked. Essentially you would enter, have the black hole blanket yourself and the room with a dark beam of energy and suddenly find that you no longer had to "go."

He pondered if the waste inside the body was somehow teleported or disintegrated into nothing, but honestly was too embarrassed to ask any DearS how it worked. Indeed, he'd ended up deciding that he was probably better off not knowing how they worked, just like how he had no desire to know how the majority of food he had eaten on Earth was prepared.

Not long after he meandered upon one of what he recalled Nia referring to as a "hanging room." It was an odd, otherwise bare room with a bunch of odd rings hanging from the ceiling. Nia had claimed that (likely due to how most DearS disliked having to think on their own) when a DearS was tired and had no work to do he or she could go to this room, place a hand on a ring and hang from it, proceeding to "zone out" and rest in a thoughtless daze.

Sure enough, about a half dozen DearS were gathered in the room. They all hung from a ring, wearing the same pacified expressions. Io had told him recently that due to the changes Ren had initiated in their species, many DearS were finding it increasingly difficult to use the room for long periods of time, as well as having less and less desire to. She predicted the hanging rooms may eventually become relics of the past, or be reduced to use as a way to relax if overstressed. Ren herself had no ability to use the room. The one time she had tried she had simply fallen asleep and awoke with a sore arm. She could send herself into a happy daze thinking about Takeya, melon bread or anything else she was especially fond of or curious about, but she didn't need the room for that.

Further and further he went, passing room upon room, hall upon hall. Then at last Takeya arrived at the door of his and Ren's room, and paused to gather himself, recalling how he and Ren came to be here. On a ship space can be precious, and DearS in general have no need or desire for their own rooms. At first Takeya feared he would end up in some kind of huge communal sleeping chamber surrounded by dozens of DearS, but he needn't have worried. For the purpose of transporting travelling masters with their slave or slaves, there were several large rooms that looked much like expensive, if alien, hotel suites, complete with food synthesizers, and possibly the most comfortable bed Takeya had ever slept on. It was in here that he and Ren were to be staying and Io would accept no argument against it.

Ren of course had no qualms on the matter, and it wasn't that Takeya didn't want to be around Ren, he just found it uncomfortable to consider she would be sleeping in the same bed as him night after night. She had offered to sleep on the floor as the Dears' high-tech closets were not shaped ideally for her to remake her old "bedroom." But there was no way he could live with that, he'd sooner sleep on the floor than have her be relegated to it. After all, this was Ren's home more than it was his and he refused to be a rude tenant. An extra, smaller bed was brought in but it proved useless and was soon removed. For inevitably, without the door of the closet back at the apartment restricting her, Ren would sleep walk from wherever she was sleeping and find her way to Takeya's side, where she would cling to him for the rest of the night.

With or without the bed the end result was the same, so Takeya cut out the middleman. Honestly he felt more comfortable knowing where Ren would be when he woke up and thus be able to avoid some embarrassing surprises. For as long as Ren fell asleep holding onto him she could usually be counted on not to try anything in her sleep.

Not that this was a perfect solution. Takeya had found himself starting a lot of new habits to deal with having Ren as a bedmate and thus the need to keep his hormones in check. Ren had sworn not to do anything provocative and at times Takeya allowed himself to enjoy the simple pleasure of waking up with her arms wrapped around him, full of affection and possessiveness. Still, he always made sure to fall asleep with his back to her so he wouldn't wake up with her in his arms or have to deal with Ren inadvertently feeling a certain part of his anatomy. In addition it kept him from having to look at her, he didn't have to be reminded of how easy it was to get lost in the exotic red orbs that were her eyes and start to lose control. Cold showers also helped, as did staying up each night until he was too exhausted to take much notice of the voluptuous alien in his bed.

That routine was wearing him out and in fact was not entirely effective. Increasingly his dreams were giving into the erotic fantasies involving Ren that he before had only had two or three times a week at most. They were near maddening back then and even worse now that Ren shared his bed. Ren's empathic senses certainly noticed the changes in him, and she was heavily tempted to make the dreams real. It was a testament to her maturing fortitude that she had managed to resist the impulse to appease so far. So it was whenever he woke up to find Ren huddled with a pillow on the far side of the bed he knew she'd spent yet another portion of yet another night resisting urges from him that had been particularly strong.

Ren never complained about it but he could tell it was stressing her out too. Yet she adamantly refused to even consider sleeping elsewhere. She said it just felt too lonely without him close by. He had to admit he was quite touched by that. At the same time, knowing she was putting herself through such stress because she felt even worse away from him made him feel all the more awful.

And even though Ren wasn't overtly trying to seduce him, it didn't change the fact that she regularly let a flirtatious or enticing touch or look pass between them in bed and often was unintentionally sexy in her movements, speech and behavior. He sometimes wondered how much Ren was doing subconsciously and how much of the effect was simply a result of his sexually frustrated mind imagining things.

Then there was bathing. The DearS had communal showers, truly amazing things technologically but Takeya didn't really care about that aspect. All he cared was that his and Ren's room also had its own shower. Even then, he was often worried over Ren walking in on him as locks did not exist on the bathroom door since there was no need for them within the private room. That is if a slave was told to not go somewhere, they simply didn't go there. Ren, however, had always had difficulty following such orders, especially if she felt Takeya's sexual desires ran counter to them. She already had, with her usual lack of tact, told him she had been severely tempted to join him in the shower on a number of occasions. That had led to a whole new series of wet dreams and even colder showers.

He shook his head wearily to get rid of that thought as he felt his heart speed up a bit and his hormones were stirred, the last thing he needed was for Ren to sense that and jump to conclusions before he'd had a chance to talk to her.

As he stared at the door it all seemed to hit him at once. The realization that this was it. He was most likely going to somehow engage in the most intimate of human behavior after he entered that room. He wasn't truly being forced but Io was right, someone was going to get hurt if he and Ren didn't talk about this issue seriously. And talking about it seemed likely to lead to doing it. This certainly wasn't how he had dreamed it would be, not that he could have dreamed up a situation like this. It was still hard to accept it all as even real.

Takeya tried to reassure himself. After all, he reasoned, after a good talk he and Ren could just conclude that it would be best to leave things as they were. Yeah, they could just continue as if this whole embarrassing series of events hadn't happened. And Io be damned if she didn't like it! He still had to get even with the brat for using his hand as a chew toy when she was a child! So he certainly didn't need to answer to her, not if Ren agreed with him!

His own mind laughed mockingly at that line of reasoning and he sighed. He knew full well that Ren wanted him badly, hard as it still was for him to conceive of it. In fact she had wanted to 'satisfy' him practically from the first night they spent in the same room, just for different reasons. If he ever got her to say she wanted otherwise it would be a lie to spare his feelings, and that would make him feel all the worse, not to mention do nothing to solve the problem.

Then there was the fact that if he was truly honest with himself, he wanted her more badly than he had ever thought possible, especially since his confession of love for her back on Earth after having his attempts at denial being beaten out of him by Neneko. He also could no longer rebuff her with the rational that Ren didn't really understand the implications of what she was offering to him.

Even long before his true feelings came into agreement with his libido there were his simple teenage hormones to consider. He thought back to how he would indeed likely have let her seduce him that early night, if it had not been for her detached, business-like manner and outright denial that her actions had anything to do with love or feelings, that she in fact had no understanding of what love was. Such words had sufficed to stifle the desire he felt for her.

His other two near-seductions had halted for similar reasons. The second time Ren had again spoken as though she saw the whole event as an opportunity to be 'used' by him, that this fact made her happy and not the sex itself or any feelings of affection for him. The third time she had been distraught over the fear that he would replace her with Miu and wasn't thinking straight. He could never sleep with her under such circumstances, his concerns for his ideals and Ren's wellbeing wouldn't allow it.

Then there had been that time in the bath, but it had ended so horribly that he preferred to not think about it. If nothing else that event had proven to him that some things on porn videos just were _not_ meant to be done in real life.

Now, however, what if she tried again now? What if she came to him and expressed a heartfelt, fully reasonable desire to be intimate with him? Would he be able to refuse her? He honestly doubted it, Ren could be very persuasive when it came to matters like this, and knew if he did refuse he would hate himself for it and Ren would suffer a great deal from the rejection. Yet this realization led to other fears.

Eighteen years he had lived on Earth, yet Ren was the only girl he had ever had anything close to a romantic relationship with. He had never even initiated a kiss with a girl before. How could he be expected to sleep with her? Or rather, how could he be expected to do so without utterly disappointing the girl with his lack of experience and confidence? He knew Ren would never say she was disappointed in his performance but it didn't stop him from worrying over it. Ren may have in theory been about as inexperienced as he was, but her programming and empathic abilities meant she probably was experienced enough in practice to put Mitsuka-sensei to shame (if the crazy woman had any).

Her kisses had certainly proven to him that she knew exactly what she was doing. For all her faults he was quite sure that in bed Ren would prove to be some kind of master of the erotic arts, a love goddess worthy of Venus. She was the freaking Gate for the DearS race! The sole individual essentially made to mate and breed. And while this did excite a part of him, it also worried him a great deal. What if he couldn't take it, what if he fainted or came early? What if he somehow hurt her, or, embarrassing as it was to think about, she hurt him?

At this point Takeya decided to seriously review just where they stood as far as physical intimacy went.

First he had to admit that since his confession that he loved her he had gotten more comfortable with being close to her. However as far as physical things were concerned, they hadn't really progressed much. Ren for one seemed to finally find the resolve to control herself, save for her typically passionate greeting hugs and, of course, her desire to cling to him at night. As for Takeya, he simply was too unsure of himself to do much of anything beyond a friendly hand on a shoulder or a hug in especially emotional moments.

He was at the same time aware that it was not as if they did not have a fairly good knowledge of each other's bodies. There were the multiple occasions where he had woken up with her naked form in bed with him back at the apartment. Then that time she had climbed in the bath with him (he still wondered how it took him so long to notice), and that embarrassing fiasco in her closet back when she had lost her ability to speak Japanese. So it wasn't a matter of shyness necessarily, he just truly had no confidence when it came to kissing, let alone going further than that.

In contrast he was honestly intimidated by how confident Ren seemed. In her own words she could "execute copulation flawlessly" thanks to her programming. She made it all seem so easy, and in turn made him feel all the more like he wasn't qualified to be with her. He thought of the various times she had so smoothly, without a bit of hesitation, done things that would have had him shaking in nervousness just thinking about doing. There was the way she would freely grab his face to bring him close for a kiss or wrap her arms around him, purposely pressing her breasts up against him and moving in such a way as to allow him to feel her every incredible curve. Just what would it be like to go further than that with her? He supposed he did have a few experiences that gave him a taste of it…

Of particular note were the memories that had slowly come back to him of the night he had mysteriously come out of that terrible fever after saving Ren from nearly drowning in a pool. He had at first thought they were just rather vivid, yet cloudy, memories of erotic dreams. Dreams of a naked Ren clinging to him, rubbing her whole body against him, murmuring sweet nothings and filling him with a strange but pleasant warmth as her forehead marking filled the whole room with light.

Yet no dream had ever made him feel so… loved. The things Ren had said to him, the feelings she transmitted while healing him, the way she had held him. There was so much more than just lust in those memories, there was a level of affection that he found hard to comprehend. He had eventually, discreetly, asked Miu if DearS could cure fevers with their life force manipulating abilities. Miu had replied that indeed they could but then added, blushing profusely, that it required a great deal of physical contact for an extended period and was best done with the DearS unclothed to maximize the energy transmitted.

That had been the end of that conversation as he thanked her quickly and turned tail, blushing and futilely trying not to think about the implications. He was angry at first, even feeling violated. Yet once he calmed down he had to admit he knew Ren had meant no harm. She had no doubt enjoyed groping him in his unconscious state but she had not done it for that purpose and had refrained from doing more with him, or even removing his own clothes. He also had to admit it made for some very nice, albeit fevered and half conscious, memories. He had even thanked Ren for her 'help' and Ren had been surprisingly tactful in accepting it and not forcing a detailed discussion about what had happened. She had even blushed a bit, appearing very cute even for her. Ren was always most attractive to him when she showed how very 'human' she was.

Yes, Ren was human, or rather she was human enough. For all their differences, he was sure of that much. Takeya took a breath. It would be okay. Everything would be okay. Nothing would happen that they didn't both want. He had to believe that.

"No more running."

He steeled himself and pressed the code to open the door.

--

Notes:

Well this chapter was just one long scene with Takeya, but it was important to set up the next one. I also took it as an opportunity to detail some of the ship. The food synthesizer I included simply because it makes sense for the DearS to have one while the "hanging room" and toilet are based directly on the manga (though I had to make up myself how the toilet might have worked).

Takeya is referred to as seventeen at the start of the series so he should be around eighteen by the end of it, give or take a few months.

Next chapter is where the rating goes to Mature, though I'd like to think what I write is more romantic than smutty.


	4. Chapter 4: Consummation

DearS: New Contact

**DearS: New Contact**

Disclaimer: Despite rumors to the contrary that may or may not exist, I don't own DearS

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'Quotes' Quotes within quotes

_Italics_ Thoughts and specially emphasized words

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Chapter Four: Consummation

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As the door slid open and Takeya stepped in he wondered if Ren had decided to go to sleep. Day and night meant little on a spaceship and the DearS tended to sleep whenever they needed to, only the few usually needed to run the ship being required to be awake at certain times for their shifts. However he and Ren had semi-kept to their normal hours simply out of habit and for them it was nearing the end of the day. The lights had been turned low and he glanced over to the bed on the other side of the medium-sized room but didn't notice anyone there.

As his eyes quickly adjusted to the low but still quite visible lighting he walked further in and turned to see Ren walking towards him. At first she smiled and appeared like she was about to run at him with one of her tackling hugs, but then she stopped and almost frowned, apparently sensing his nervousness. As if to prove it, Takeya jumped slightly in surprise as the door slid shut behind him.

Ren had hoped a bit that Takeya would enter and demand satisfaction in no uncertain terms, but that wouldn't have been like him at all and she honestly knew it wouldn't happen. She was not at all averse to initiating things, and she truly felt that now was at last their time to satiate each other but by the same token she didn't want to do anything to upset him. That had already happened so many times in her past attempts to satisfy his (and she now admitted, her own) sexual desires.

Thus his current state of unease left her confused as of how to proceed. She had learned that Takeya was not so much turned off by how forward she was as he was by some of the words she used during an attempt at jumping him. Speaking about wanting to be of use to him or otherwise focusing on her desire to serve him with pleasure only seemed to make him sad and angry, and she had come to understand to some degree why. Calling him master tended to be a bit of a mood killer as well, though at other times he was stimulated by it, at least briefly. Yet she wasn't sure how to use that knowledge here.

Contrary to what most of the girls back at school had thought, Takeya's moody and sometimes rude attitude was mostly a product of stress and insecurity rather than his true nature. Those who knew him well knew we was in fact a man of deep convictions regarding love and fairness toward people in general. Though his words often indicated otherwise, his actions almost always seemed to hold him to those convictions, at times even against his better judgement.

Such passionate beliefs meant he was easily offended by anything that might be construed as being contrary to them. He was in particular appalled at the idea of sex being something that would focus most on his enjoyment of it. Since love was supposed to come from both partners, what was the sense in having one be little but a pleasure toy for the other? Shouldn't it be shared as equally as possible?

To care about their own needs was largely contrary to most DearS' logic, but Takeya's desire to have her needs met was also one of the reasons Ren loved Takeya, why she had chosen him as her master. Though her mind at the time had not been able to comprehend it, by some seemingly divine inspiration Ren had known that Takeya was a man who would come to treat her needs as a person with equal or greater regard than his own. Thus he was the perfect partner for a being whose ability to care about itself above others was often limited. It insured that she would be well provided for. In turn, she would be able to help ensure his own happiness, which he at times neglected.

Ren couldn't deny she was a bit bothered though. In the time since he had told her he loved her Takeya and Ren had yet to share a real mutual kiss, something that Ren had hoped would become commonplace after Takeya's confession. Her focus to not spoil her place in his heart meant that she had left it up to him to initiate a kiss or ask for one, but he seemed to avoid situations where that might happen and to avoid the topic as much as possible. Ren wondered if he suspected what she knew, that once she started kissing him she would find it very difficult to stop.

So Ren had found herself in a rather frustrating but at the same time wonderful state that got worse and better by the day. She had always desired Takeya, as was natural for a DearS concerning their master, but it had changed over time, even more so after he admitted he loved her. That had for a bit actually quelled her ardor, as her mind focused on the strange and bubbly feeling of knowing he was in love with her.

However it then had gradually developed into a passion that had been raging inside her more and more to the extent that just briefly thinking about the things she wanted to do to/with him made her heart beat fast and a powerful heat rise in her body. It was like a constant craving for melon bread, without any way to truly satisfy herself. She had taken to fantasizing but found the results to be lacking, which went to proving even more to her that only Takeya could sate the hunger she felt inside. She wanted to touch him so badly, to touch him all over to heart's content, to cuddle him, straddle him, kiss him everywhere and more…

It was maddening, but somehow her resolve remained to not do anything to spoil things with her Takeya. Only now did she allow the hope to grow in her that today would be the day her wait would be rewarded. She knew Io had a way of putting things that Ren often lacked. Io had in an earlier talk with her confirmed Ren's senses that Takeya desired her greatly so perhaps the issue simply needed to be brought out in the open. She now smiled hopefully at the thought, "Welcome back Takeya. Ren waited here just like you asked."

"Yeah thanks," he greeted lamely. Ren seemed uncertain how to respond, still sensing his confused emotions. Takeya tried to look away from her and scratched the back of his head. Resolute or not he expected he would only manage to get to his real point if he eased into it with other topics first. "So… did Miu seem okay?"

Ren shook her head, her expression saddening for a moment. "Miu is still sad, but says that she just needs to think and that Ren can talk everything over with her later."

"Oh…" he tried to smile, "well… that's good I guess. I really hate how I'm causing her to hurt like that."

"Love is… painful at times… and complicated, is it not?" Ren asked, still a bit confused herself about how to proceed.

"I guess so… I know I talk about how important it is, but it's not as though I've actually been in love before. For one, I never expected it to be so hard for me to accept I was in love, or to notice that someone was really in love with me." He looked at her, his eyes pained as he tried to figure out what to say next.

Suddenly Ren took him into a gentle hug. She knew this was hard for him, she had to admit it was surprisingly hard for her as well. For despite how much desire she had, now that it came to doing something about it she was for the first time feeling inhibited. This was so different from before. Even when she had first started to understand her own feelings for Takeya they had not compelled her to hold back, she simply considered her feelings of affection to be rewards for satisfying him.

Yet now she understood it was not so simple. She could not approach this in such a detached way anymore. Because this was not just a task, a role for her to fill as a slave, it was so much more. It confused her senses that while Takeya did feel attraction to her, he did not expect or demand to be satisfied. Yet that was her duty, even if only as a lover and not a slave was it not? It would be so much easier to treat it as a task to fulfill, yet she no longer could. She wanted him because she cared about and was attracted to him, even without any influence from her instinct to satisfy him. More than that, she wanted him to want this as well. If only she could communicate that somehow…

She stepped back, deciding to go slow, at least by her definition. "Takeya… Ren knows what you and Io talked about. It is _okay_." She emphasized seriously and formed a victory/peace sign with her fingers in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. It must have succeeded as he smiled a bit.

"Ren understands Takeya is distressed," she continued, "and so about what Io said… about making babies, Ren can keep herself from fertilizing until Ren desires to, Ren knows because Ren looked up information on The Gate by using the DearS computer so Takeya need not worry about that right now. What matters to Ren… what Ren wants most… is to be with you." She took his left hand and put it to her face, then proceeded to rub her cheek against it to simulate the caress she was hoping for, every bit of her was yearning for her master's touch even more than usual in the stress of the situation.

"Ren cannot deny this is selfish, but you want Ren to tell you how she really feels, yes?" she looked at him with a hopeful smile that grew as he gave her a slight nod.

"Ren is… Ren doesn't like having Takeya so close and yet so far. Ren wants to hold onto Takeya, to touch him all over, to kiss him again and again… Ren wants more with Takeya, more and more…" she rambled a bit, her eyes betraying the storm of emotions that churned inside her. She had let her excitement get the best of her and paused to calm down. "Is this wrong?"

He shook his head. "No… it's just not simple. Look Ren, this is all really strange, it's nothing like what I used to think my life would end up being. Living with an alien, making a bunch of babies that wouldn't belong to us. I'm just not sure how to respond to it all… but you shouldn't keep yourself from helping your people, not for my sake. I knew when I confessed that I wanted you with me that things couldn't all be on my terms. That wouldn't be fair and neither of us would have been really happy."

"And I'm not angry with you for wanting to do these things with me…" he looked away and blushed. "If anything I still find it hard to believe you could want someone like me. You're so beyond anyone I ever expected I could be with, and I don't mean because you're an alien, at least that's not just what I mean. I mean its not like you don't have your faults…" he cringed, even he knew _that _was not something one should say to most girls when talking about one's feelings. Luckily Ren wasn't most girls and was too intent on hearing all of Takeya's words to be offended by the remark.

Takeya paused to collect his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is this would be tough for me no matter who I was with, but with you… with everything you are… you're so gorgeous and… so confidant about this stuff… I don't want to mess up."

"Takeya wouldn't mess up," Ren stated with deep resolve, at the same time trying to stifle the ecstatic squeal she felt rise within her at Takeya openly saying he considered her gorgeous. That was even better than just sexy wasn't it? Whatever it meant she had to focus. "Ren knows… Ren knows Takeya thinks a lot about Ren's feelings, so there is no way Takeya could mess up in Ren's eyes, if he accepted Ren. It would be wonderful, very pleasing for us both, Ren is sure."

He shook his head and turned aside from her, "I wish I had your confidence in this. Ever since I first thought about finding someone, falling in love, getting married, I always hoped… when this happened… it would be like I always dreamed it would be… it always seemed like it'd be easy if everything were perfect, that it would all just sort of… happen." He found a moment to think it odd how he had so quickly switched from speaking of sex as something that could happen between them to something that was going to happen between them.

For a few seconds Ren seemed to consider his words carefully, then her eyes brightened as a thought struck her. "Takeya… there is not a view of the ocean, 'the works' probably aren't here, but…" she indicated to the magnificent view of the stars through the window that took up much of a wall of their room, "Ren has heard stars be referred to as 'a sea.' Ren is truly somewhat older now as well. Perhaps… perhaps this can be acceptable for your dreams?"

Takeya now recalled how he had once told Ren, after barely managing to rebuff her strongest attempt at seduction yet (wherein she had jumped him with a fierce passion that had lit fires in his dreams for some time after) how he had his own dreams for 'doing it.' He shook his head and chuckled, "Ren… you know I didn't mean all that the way it sounded. I just wanted it to be special, with someone I love and who loves me, someone who knew herself and what she wanted. Someone I wanted to be with forever."

If he was to be brutally honest Ren actually fitted his fantasy woman just about perfectly when it came to looks. She was sexy and yet so cute at the same time. Her hair exemplified this trait, growing in a rather comical pattern yet streaming around her in a way that made her look almost supernatural at times, like some kind of alien succubus, but in a good way. That is, she was without a doubt the epitome of sexual temptation in body and mind, yet somehow at the same time her kindness and innocence remained genuine. There was her incredibly lithe, curvy body, with shapely legs that seemed to never end and hands with a knack for tactile stimulation. In particular, deep down he also would have had to admit that, as Ren had found out to his embarrassment some time ago, he had a bit of a fetish for large breasts. Not that he let this cloud his judgement on what was really important, but all the same he couldn't ignore how Ren's were always just so _there, _and he had inadvertently touched or felt them enough times for his dreams to never run out of material_._

Trying to distract his sudden erotic thoughts by looking around was a ploy that backfired as he immediately noticed how tantalizingly close their bed was to where they were standing. He flushed slightly and returned his gaze to a contemplative Ren.

"Is Ren… that person now?" she asked hopefully. She then stepped closer, her expression losing some of its soft innocence, well-timed and sultry sways of her hips drawing Takeya's eyes. "Ren thinks she is, Ren loves Takeya, Takeya loves Ren, Ren wants to be with Takeya, to touch him, taste him, be one with him." His blush deepened but he didn't turn away.

With this encouragement, Ren went on, "Ren thinks about it all the time," she stepped closer, turning her head slightly to speak into his ear in a breathy, tingle-inducing, whisper, "wants it all the time…" She stepped back, her voice lightening a bit but her eyes still yearning. "And Takeya and Ren are on this journey to discover our future together, that is special, isn't it?" She placed a hand on his chest, tracing gently down with her fingers. She clasped his other hand in her own, weaving her dainty fingers between his.

"Yeah Ren… it is…" Takeya felt a pleasant warmth spreading within him, his heart rate beginning to accelerate, but he couldn't lose himself to it, not yet. He looked at her seriously. "Ren, listen… just forget all about fulfilling my desires for a moment. Not everything is about that. Look, what do you feel right now, not as a DearS, but as a woman? I know that you may always see me as your master, I've accepted that. I'm fine with it, just so long as that's not the only way you see me." As he said this he gently pulled her hands off of him and put his on her shoulders, Ren immediately semi-collapsing forward so he would have to embrace her closely to keep her from falling, the temptation to be held too great for her.

For a time Ren seemed to drift into her own world, silently basking in the feel of being so close to Takeya and clutching at his shirt tightly. She was truly swooning, her legs feeling weak. At last, she answered in a soft, pleasured tone. "Ren feels… Ren feels warm…" she nuzzled his chest, "safe… carefree… only Takeya makes Ren feel this way…"

At these words Takeya was jolted from his own pleasant reverie. It was time to focus on a particularly important point. He put Ren at arms-length, the DearS briefly feeling sadness and confusion stir in her at the separation as he stared at her with utter seriousness. "Why me? What's so special about me?!" he demanded almost frantically.

Ren blinked as though she found the question to be a strange one. "Because Takeya is… Takeya."

Takeya groaned and rolled his eyes. "See, its stuff like that I don't get!" Realizing his frustration made him sound angrier than he was, he paused to calm himself and continue more gently. "When I first found you, you were just sitting there like a zombie. Then you started to follow me and I got you out of the way when you fell into traffic. Next thing I know you're saying something in a language I don't understand and kissing me," he summarized. "I…" his voice was pained, as though he didn't want to admit what he was about to say, "I just can't help wondering… wouldn't the same thing have happened with you to anyone who did what I did?"

"That is impossible," Ren stated with a firmness that stunned Takeya. "Ren followed Takeya because from the moment Ren saw Takeya she knew he was the best person for Ren. Ren does not know how she knew, but Ren knew regardless. It is said this is why Ren and Takeya are a Gift. Ren had watched many people pass by before Takeya came, but Ren only felt drawn to Takeya. Ren knew Takeya would care for Ren like no one else would and that Ren could help Takeya be happy."

Suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious, Takeya looked away and blushed slightly. "What about Hiro?" he asked, failing to hide a jealous edge to his voice. "He really liked you too, and he wasn't afraid to say it," he admitted in a shamed tone.

Ren closed her eyes and shook her head, "Hiro-kun liked who Takeya helped Ren become. Takeya was there before that."

"What about Neneko then? She liked you from the start too didn't she? As a friend I mean," he quickly corrected.

"She did not have to live with Ren," Ren reasoned, "get in trouble because of Ren, get hurt because of Ren…" she lowered her eyes in sadness as she remembered some of the emotional and physical turmoil she'd put Takeya through. "Takeya stood by Ren, even when he was angry with Ren, even when he could have thrown Ren away. Ren can never, will never, forget that. Ren's choice has been proven right so many times, and it makes her want Takeya even more."

Having recovered from the deluge of emotions she had found herself experiencing, Ren stepped nearer and looked up into his eyes. "Ren always wants to be close to Takeya, to touch you… to be touched… to pet, hug and kiss, to make love… to never let go of you… Ren knows now, Ren would want this even if she were not Takeya's slave."

As she spoke, Ren brought her hands up around his head and slowly combed her fingers through his hair, the resulting sensations now making Takeya feel weak in the knees. She was more than close enough for him to notice the familiar yet always erotic sensation of her scantly-covered breasts pressed up against him, the rest of her body close to doing the same, and knew he'd get an eyeful of her generous cleavage if he were to look down. Looking ahead wasn't much better though, as he was left to stare in Ren's lust-glazed ruby eyes, her lips slightly parted to compensate her quickening breath.

On that thought their lips were now almost touching, their eyes half-lidded, Takeya could feel Ren's hot breath against his skin, could smell the familiar perfume of her hair, which seemed to intoxicate his senses no matter how much he reminded himself that rationally there should be nothing special about it. Ren felt much the same for Takeya's natural scent. "You always smell good" he recalled had been what she had said during one of their numerous botched amorous moments.

With thoughts of her scent came thoughts of her texture, her taste. The feel of her smooth, wet tongue on his skin. He thought back to the time he had declared to Xaki that she was his slave, how that night she had crawled into bed with him and slowly licked the back of his neck while voicing her gratitude. That had been all that had happened but something about the way she had done it, the feelings she had conveyed, had meant he found it arousing to think about ever since. As french kisses seemed to be one of Ren's fortes, Takeya had a fair idea of how she tasted, though one could only garner so much from largely one-sided kisses wherein he was either actively resisting her or too shocked to notice many details.

Yet nothing could keep his senses from acknowledging her firm yet soft lips, the warmth and comfort of her mouth on his, traces of her faintly sweet saliva mixing with his own, her breath heavy with lust. Much as her breath was now. Much as his was becoming. All he had to do was agree, and this willing, incredibly gorgeous woman would give herself to him without shame or regret. So why hesitate, why wait any longer?

He lowered his head and turned slightly, breaking their near kiss, but didn't back away. He knew her answer, but even so he had to ask. He had to be sure. As he spoke, with all his will he turned back to stare into her eyes, the whole front of her body maddeningly pressing against his.

"Ren… you really… you really want to?"

She closed her eyes, her lips and tongue grazing his skin slightly in a series of tingling touches from his ear to his lips. She sighed in pleasure and relief. How wonderful it was to finally have him ask that question.

"Yes… yes… Ren wants to be with Takeya…"

Her voice continued in low, sultry whispers. He was slowly, willingly, mesmerized.

"To touch and feel… to gnaw and bite… to mix our juices…"

Her hands continually traced over his body, causing warm shivers that left his whole body tingling.

"More with Takeya… more and more…"

She gave his earlobe the barest of nibbles, smiling at how he stifled a pleasured gasp in response.

"Through the night… always with Takeya… only with Takeya. Ren wants this…"

The marking's on Ren's forehead lit up as she assessed the waves of emotion now coming from Takeya. She felt the warm fondness that she had come to know as love, as well as the burning desire she so longed to draw out of him. She was compelled to mold that desire, to nurture and magnify it. Despite how incredibly badly she wanted to just initiate a fierce kiss on the spot, she knew starting slowly would work better. The longer she took, the more she could learn about how to best please him. So she pulled her face back slightly, teasing him and being rewarded with a new surge of want and a slight leaning-in of his head as he tried to follow her.

It was then that she kissed him, a restrained but still passionate one. Almost with a mind of their own her lips began to knead his nervousness into nothing. A half minute passed. Takeya felt his mind going numb with pleasure, barely noticing as Ren's caressing hands purposely slid his outer shirt jacket off, allowing it to quietly drop to the floor before resuming their careful strokes and rubs.

_Damn she can kiss…_ went through his now dazed mind. He wanted so much to just let go, every instinct in him driving him to give into the kiss, to give into Ren. She was so warm, so inviting, it would be so easy to just lose himself in her passions. And yet, he was now becoming dismayed, considering his own efforts in the kiss to pale in comparison. Gradually, self-pity was beginning to consume him.

Even if his attempts to return her kiss were unsure and inexperienced, Ren inwardly was squealing with glee over having at last had her kiss reciprocated. Adjusting and readjusting each point of contact for best effect and quick breaths of air, she chewed and sucked on him, her fingers accentuating the kiss with deft caresses through his hair and skin, making his head spin with sensation.

However, while Ren was enjoying the gentle kiss, she was also getting vexed by how Takeya seemed to keep hesitating every time she tried to deepen it. The heat within her was still increasing, her own hormones blunting her empathic senses a bit, but she could still feel the waves of doubt that mingled with Takeya's desire. What she would give to have him just stop worrying and let it happen, let her pleasure him. Yet he wouldn't open his mouth enough for her, no matter how she pushed and prodded, no matter how much she felt his growing desire for her to succeed. Judging by that desire she felt she knew she'd succeed if she kept at it and so her tongue continued to slide and prod past his lips, searching for any weakness in his nervous defense. Yes, this could be fun if Takeya played along. However, her hopes of alleviating his nervousness this way were dashed when she felt him start pulling away.

Their lips parted, Ren lightly holding onto his lower one with her mouth for a moment before releasing him with a protesting moan. Her eyes were glassy, overfilling with desire. She could barely find the focus to voice her concern. He tried to turn away from her but she held fast.

"Ta-Takeya please don't leave!" she sputtered, panic briefly overriding her lust. "Did Ren do something wrong?"

"No!" he assured her, his breath rapid, his face flushed. "That was amazing Ren… I'm not sure what to say here… Maybe Io's right… maybe I am only making excuses…" he looked away from her then back, downcast. "Ren, I'm sorr-mmpth!"

Ren had halted Takeya's words by grabbing him with a swift and fierce kiss, partly to keep him from berating himself and partly out of impatience. She couldn't stop herself, the bout of kissing had stirred up so much repressed desire. It was now raging in her like a wild beast. Her momentum as she jumped on him caused him to stumble back so they both fell on the bed. Ren didn't stop, her tongue pressing hard against Takeya's mouth, demanding entrance and finally meeting little resistance as she eagerly explored, reveling in his taste.

It took several seconds for Takeya to recover enough from the shock to his senses and realize what was happening. Even then his thoughts were jumbled a bit into '_Oh… oh wow… Ren is… Ren is…her tongue is… oh wow!'_ And she tasted even more amazing than he'd expected as he at last allowed himself to appreciate it. His suspicions from various other kisses were confirmed, the taste of melon bread was only somewhat present, mostly she had a flavor he just couldn't find the words to describe except that it, combined with her movements, was making him feel more aroused than he'd honestly ever felt before. Her lips felt like they were seamlessly merging with his, and her soft, wet tongue seemed inhumanely agile.

"Takeya- you taste- so good- smell- so good-" she panted in a husky, lustful tone in the moments between her moist kisses, playful nibbles and wanting, sensuous licks… her hands pulling at his shirt in a not-so-subtle entreaty.

"You- too-" Takeya replied softly, about the most coherent thing his mind could come up with as the nirvana of her mouth parted from his. He was then reduced to quiet gasps and moans of pleasure as Ren turned her attention to sucking and nibbling from his earlobe to his neck and chest. She ardently sought greater access to his bare skin, now pulling off his shirt with no hesitation and then going for his neck again. With surprisingly flexibility, her hips ground against his own, eliciting a strong reaction even through the fabric of their clothing.

_So much so fast… _now floated through Takeya's mind as he tried to think about what was going on. To say Ren was eager was an understatement. She seemed to be trying to find a way to touch him everywhere at the same time. And she seemed to be succeeding judging by the sheer measure of hot sparks that traveled through him from every movement she made. Her energy was overwhelming as she used her empathic senses together with her lips, tongue, legs, hands and contortions of her body to locate the best pleasure spots on his.

Even in this though Takeya found doubt spreading through him. Ren was trying so hard, yet what was he doing? He was still so unused to this and so nervous that he had barely responded, aside from the way his body was shaking with pleasure and arching in tandem with her grinding seemingly of its own volition. Surely Ren deserved more than his reflexes?

"Ren…" he gasped, his breath rapid, "wait… I, I'm not sure I can… maybe we should tal-ah!…" his words were caught in his throat as Ren found a particularly sensitive spot on his neck to nibble and suck on. He shut his eyes, arching his neck, digging his fingers into the bed and letting out some pleasured moans. His worries though were not forgotten, only pushed aside.

"So good- so tasty-" she gasped out, barely pausing in her exhaustive examination of this pleasure point. After Ren had played with that spot until it was numb she went to his ear, her breath hot and rapid against his skin as she tried to collect herself. She could feel Takeya's mind building walls between them, separating her from her master just as real as if it was on a physical level. His body was there with her, but his mind was now running away, and she wanted all of him, in spite of how selfish she considered that to be. Thus it was her excitement over satisfying him was quickly being suppressed by concern and doubt. She sat up slightly, looking down at him and panting.

"Ren?" he panted back, trying to figure out what was wrong even as his desire and self doubt continued to war in his mind. There was fear in her eyes, but why?

Ren was in turmoil. Was Takeya only pitying her? Was this half-hearted placation of her urges all he was willing to offer? Did he love her but not share her desire to be one with the other? Was all the desire she'd ever felt from him nothing more than what he felt toward anyone he considered attractive, and not anything he would ever act on of his own accord? The thoughts were painful, and frightening, though she knew she would accept it if it was so, rather than leave Takeya. If he could love her only so much then she would take that rather than have nothing. But she would not mate with him only to satisfy her own desires, she simply couldn't. It… it wouldn't be right… They both had to want it for the same reasons… that was what Takeya believed wasn't it? She came to the conclusion that she had come to believe much the same.

Despite that resolve, tears welled in her eyes and her voice quaked as she spoke. "Please Takeya… please don't make Ren stop… Ren has wanted this for so long! Ren is doing her best! Please… please tell Ren you want her too!"

Her pleading tone made Takeya's heart ache. "Ren I- but I… I don't know what do to…" he replied weakly. Of course, it wasn't literally true. Having Mitsuka as a teacher in homeroom had ensured he knew more than he honestly wanted to know about sex, not to mention his former life as a devoted porn watcher. But all that seemed to fly out the window here. He didn't want most of the over-the-top things on such programs to actually happen here and now. This was real. The essentials may be instinctual but he felt so damned clumsy!

Io's advice didn't help either. He felt completely cut off from Ren emotionally now, he was simply too nervous and upset to sense her at all. He knew Ren was feeling some pleasure from what she had been doing to him, but still he couldn't help but wonder. If he couldn't effectively pleasure her through his part in the lovemaking, what was the point of all his words about how much he cared for Ren as a person and not as a slave, how could he even see himself worthy as a man to be with her?

Sorrowful and confused, he pleaded his inadequacies, "I don't know how to touch you, I don't… I don't know anything!"

"I don't care," Ren silenced him in a firm whisper, making rare use of first-person speech and putting her hands on his cheeks so he would look at her. Hope rose in her as she realized she had misunderstood Takeya's reaction and that Takeya had misunderstood as well. "Ren only wants Takeya and for Takeya to want her, nothing else. Ren knows Takeya wants Ren to feel good, and Ren will if she can just have Takeya!"

Her voice shook, a few tears again escaping her eyes as she continued in a firm and quiet voice. "It…" she sniffed, "it hurts… it hurts Ren so much to see Takeya feeling like this. Can you not see how Ren sees you? For Ren, Takeya is the most wonderful person of all. Ren loves Takeya… loves Takeya more than anything and wants Takeya more than anything… that is enough for Ren, it always will be. Ren wants- Ren wants Takeya just as he is… the Takeya that Ren loves… to be this close to him, that alone is pleasure enough for Ren. So don't push Ren away, please don't…" she weeped.

The feelings behind her words seemed to pierce through his anxieties. Takeya stared into her eyes, just as beautiful and passionate as they were cute and alluring. As the link of the Gift surged stronger, he finally understood. Ren didn't expect anything from him beyond his acceptance of her and her feelings and for him to return them. So long as he did, everything would be fine. He needn't worry about his performance, even if her programming gave her an edge in skill and confidence. What was most important, was that they share this together, however it turned out. He reached up and gently stroked one cheek then the other to wipe away the remnants of her tears, Ren shutting her eyes and rubbing into his hand in an affectionate reflex. It reminded him of a cat, which in turn reminded him of the sexy cat girl outfit Ren had once worn for Neneko to sketch. He smiled at the memory and continued to stroke her face gently.

Knowing he wasn't quite ready to start again but unable to fully hold herself back, Ren soon took the hand that was petting her into her own. She began to slowly lick, kiss and nibble along his fingers before finally taking one into her mouth and giving it a suckle.

Takeya's breath quickened again at the pleasure radiating from the sensitive digits and the stimulation of the sight before him, but he had to speak, he had to straighten this out. He sent Ren a pleading look that she understood immediately but which made her no less reluctant to release his hand until he moved it on his own and calmed her with another caress to her cheek.

"I'm sorry Ren…" he softly stated after a lengthy silence, his eyes telling her more than his words as she now stared at him, seemingly enchanted at his voice. "I'm yours… just as you're mine. You'll need to lead me a bit, but I'm not afraid anymore. I want you, I really do. I have for a long time, even when I didn't realize it, even when I tried to convince myself I didn't."

Takeya recalled the confusion her leaving had once caused him, how he had tried to fill the void by proclaiming a love for his stepmother, then for Neneko. He was more thankful than ever that they had set him straight. "I want this, because I love you too. Ren you're…" he choked back a sob as for a moment his emotions threatened to overwhelm him, "You're more than just like family… you're… you're the most precious person in the world to me." It may have sounded corny, but he realized it was still the truth.

He managed to keep his voice from breaking too much, he still had his pride, even if he couldn't keep from blushing some. This confession was as hard as the one back at the rocket launch, but stopping now was not an option. "I want to touch you Ren, to feel you and kiss you… I want… I want to make love with you."

Takeya had taught Ren so much about how to live and behave that his request for her to lead him gave her pause as he laid his soul bare. The strength of his feelings now reminded her of the day on the ship when he had told her she was like family and the euphoric burst of power that had followed it. To top it off he had said it! He had said he wanted to make love with her! She felt the heat within her grow, stirring her to the very core, her heartbeat quickening. "Takeya…"

Ren's shocked face slowly turned to a small but bright smile a moment before she assaulted his lips again with perhaps even more energy than before, her hormones surging anew. Too stunned to currently match this, Takeya was content to hold her, caressing her gently and simply reveling in the feelings she was giving him. Gradually his confidence grew as he started to notice how Ren reacted to being touched in different places, and slowly he began learning the feel of every curve and contour of her body. In particular her thighs were amazing, so smooth and warm under his fingers and so strong as they straddled him, granting support for her sensuous movements atop him. He ran his hands along them and under the elastic bands of her leggings, squeezing them and sending tingles through them both as he felt her muscles tense and relax in tandem with her arching and bucking.

For Ren the feelings that rose within her now as she felt his lack of resistance, no, more like his encouragement, were overwhelming. It seemed to act as a catalyst, a green light for all her pent-up desire for him to come rushing to the surface. At last! At last she would be able to satisfy him! And in turn satisfy herself on oh so many levels. She needn't hold back as she had so long attempted to. She had never been able to touch him so freely. This was different even from the night she had cured his fever. Then she had restrained, not wanting to take him fully in his sleep, knowing that it would be wrong and that it could not possibly satisfy her. That night's feelings seemed merely a spark compared to the passion she was filled with now.

The nubile DearS slowed her ministrations and turned her head to whisper in his ear again. She wanted to leave no doubt in Takeya's mind about her own pleasure in this. "Takeya… Ren can feel your sexual desires, how they saturate the air… can you feel Ren's, can you feel their strength, their intensity, how she longs for you… how she _burns_ for you?"

Indeed he could, at this point their link was so strong that every emotion and desire the other experienced passed between them, he was too overwhelmed to speak but nodded slowly in answer. Wasn't this what Io had meant about how he didn't need to worry about knowing what to do? For he now could sense how and where she wanted him to touch her, what she wanted to do, just as she sensed his desires. Acting on it was still a bit of a problem, but even so it meant he was not surprised and offered no real resistance when she took his right hand up and pressed it into her left breast, over her heart.

Ren closed her eyes, her voice almost purring. She remembered doing this once before with Takeya (albeit he had been on top and she on the bottom that time), now at last she could communicate the feelings she had been unable to properly describe at that time. "Feel deeply Takeya. Can you feel Ren's heart? Can you feel how quickly it beats, how happy Ren is to be accepted by you?"

As she relived the memory so did Takeya, but from his own perspective. He recalled the emotional moment that had led to him lying over her on the floor of his room. Back then he had been confused, unable to tell if what he felt was Ren's heartbeat or his own. He now knew the answer. It was both their hearts. They were truly not so different from each other.

Back then, Ren's poorly chosen words had led to the harshest rejection Takeya had ever given her. His almost hateful feelings toward her had in turn weakened her immune system and her body in general. She had nearly died. He had nearly killed her. No one had told him this outright but he had pieced it together over time. Now… now he wanted to devote all his being to make up for the pain he had caused her.

He smiled slightly. "I do feel it Ren, can you feel mine?" he asked, placing her right hand over his heart. Ren's eyes widened, then moistened as she nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak clearly.

It was strange how the awkwardness he had felt so strongly had passed. Everything just felt so _right_. The way their bodies fitted together, the way she touched him, the way he touched her, the smell and feel of her hair, the taste of her saliva. He had never thought it would feel this good, such intimacy, such trust, such freedom with a body that was not his own. He was still nervous, but now it was a warm, pleasant kind that fueled an eager excitement. He still feared messing up, but now that concern was mixed with a deep satisfaction every time he knew he had done something to make her feel pleasure. It was an excitement that he had never truly felt before even in his most vivid fantasies, like a drug that let him go beyond any limit placed by his fears.

Ren shut her eyes again and adjusted her upper body to press the breast Takeya had his hand on harder into his palm, softly moaning in reaction as she did so. Takeya's eyes widened at the sight and feel of the supple mound of soft flesh and felt a new rush of lust from both himself and the DearS above him.

With his senses now tied into Ren's desires, he barely hesitated as he brought his other hand to her right breast and began to massage them both slowly and deeply, quickly and lightly. His actions were in perfect synchrony with what she wanted from one moment to the next, where to touch, how hard, how long, how fast. Thus he began to become intimately familiar with the soft, incredibly kissable flesh of the chest that had made his face flush and fantasies boil for so long. The feel of her breasts under his increasingly uninhibited attentions was beyond anything he'd ever imagined.

Ren let out gasp after gasp at the jolts of pleasure that shot through her body from Takeya's amorous touches, each fueling the amazing heat within her lower abdomen. Her lust amplified and she began to kiss him everywhere hungrily, laying most of her weight back on him as he continued to knead her breasts from below. Takeya tentatively tugged a bit at the material of her clothing that partially covered them, Ren rapidly completing the move by taking his hand and having it pull the front portion of her uniform down, freeing her bust to the increasingly bold attention of his hands and mouth. She was amazed at the level of her own reaction, her eyes shut tightly in ecstasy. This was so different from the casual indifference she had felt under Neneko's studious gropings and Mitsuka's oddly casual ones.

She soon was too caught up in the rapture of what Takeya was making her feel to kiss effectively or even fully support herself on top of him, relying on Takeya's hands to steady her. It was difficult to even think straight with the way her body kept arching in response to his touch, his every squeeze and nibble radiating pleasure to her whole body, she moved as if possessed. Bits of his name escaped her lips in gasping whispers as for a time she lay over him, panting, moaning and cooing until she couldn't take it anymore and rolled over, pulling Takeya with her to a position to better receive his massage.

Takeya now continued on top of her, Ren whispering his name with increasing speed and fervor, her hands clawing and pulling at him erratically and her body contorting beneath him. Then she pulled his head as close to her as she could and he eagerly buried his face in her cleavage, taking the malleable flesh into his mouth, letting it slide lightly against his teeth and then sucking on it. Ren responded with even heavier breathing and deeper moans, her hands keeping his head between her breasts, not that he was trying to escape, she just didn't want this to end. She never wanted this to end.

She took handfuls of his hair, squeezing and pulling them with every glorious wave that pulsed through her body from his touch and sent her abdomen ramming into his groin in search of every sensation her arousal could achieve with their clothes still on. As each spasm passed she would relax her grip slightly, tightening it again as the next one came, urging him to keep going, each pleasured spasm hotter and longer than the last until she couldn't tell where one ended and another began. She was practically aching with arousal, her inner juices, warm and moist, seeping out, her body preparing to experience a pleasure she had never truly felt before.

Occasionally the relative silence was interrupted by a moaning or gasping cry of words Takeya didn't recognize as her ecstasy-consumed state caused her to revert to her native language. Still, through their link he could sense their meanings in the emotions that rose from her over every pleasured breath and arching of her back, brief words of encouragement and gasping pleas for more. He began to test out the effect of adding his tongue and mouth in new ways to the fondling, ever intent on the reactions and desires he received from her. He wanted to touch her everywhere, to take her sensations higher and higher, to prove he could pleasure her as she deserved to be. Thus it was that her body was soon spasming and thrashing about in what amounted to a small climax.

Takeya was amazed at both his own boldness and the wonderful pleasure his actions brought him. It was more than the pleasure of fondling Ren's unbelievable rack, it was the knowledge that what he was doing was making her feel so good, that he could do something that so overwhelmed her with bliss. There was no arguing against the benefit to his self confidence either. Along with that he found her heavy-breathed moans and pleasured whimpers incredibly arousing as she experienced and recovered from the orgasm. He briefly considered his position on her, making sure he wasn't leaning on her in any uncomfortable way. He didn't care about dominating anything, indeed it made more sense for her to mostly be on top of him as she was lighter. But whatever she wanted he'd cooperate with.

Ren struggled out of the euphoric haze she'd found her mind in, her thoughts now racing and confused as she lay there panting. She had honestly not expected to get an orgasm in that manner though she knew it was possible, having seen it done while 'studying how to please Takeya' (i.e. watching porn) and wanted to experience it herself, she had never intended on asking Takeya to do that. It just seemed like too much to demand of him for their first time, she was supposed to be the one teaching him, giving him lessons in pleasure, not the other way around. She had also not expected it to feel so incredibly good, it was a pleasure unlike any she had experienced before, for never before in her imaginings had she been able to experience the culmination of her lust.

Regardless, she now felt a renewed energy and even greater need to satisfy the inner itch that she had at last felt truly scratched. She had thought her desire had peaked before, but after Takeya's fondling every nerve in her body seemed to have become hyper sensitive to pleasure, portions of her breasts hardened and still heaving from the stimulation.

Her body under her control again, she pulled Takeya down onto her for a kiss and then rolled with him on the bed so that she was back on top. She ground her abdomen against his, eliciting a mighty pulse of gasp-inducing pleasure in them both and an involuntary thrusting motion in him. She fully straddled him, continuing her grinding with her hands on his shoulders for leverage, letting her teeth slide along his neck, exciting the nerves there before returning to his face.

"More…" she panted as she bit and kissed almost roughly, "Ren wants more!" Takeya managed a slight nod, a bit dazed by the intensity of her tone and actions as well as how strong his own desire was becoming. Thus their making out began again in earnest. Her tongue pushed into his mouth again, this time Takeya responding to its sensual motions with tentative strokes and licks of his own. This seemed to spur Ren on all the more, deepening the kiss even further and moaning as she overwhelmed him.

Ren's mind was racing in eagerness, she felt even greater lust with every passing second. All of this was just foreplay was it not? The true climaxes were to come, ones they would both share. There was more, she wanted so much more. She was so hungry, and he was _so_ much better than even melon bread. Her moans blending with happy squeals, she kissed him with all her strength, intent to prove how very grateful she was to be able to love him this way.

Ren's already rather skimpy DearS uniform had been slipping off to various degrees ever since their mutual petting had become fervent, but with a quick touch to her collar and erotic arching back of her upper body she now banished it entirely in a bright glow of flailing ribbons and hair. Her collar shrunk down, out of the way as she bent back down on him, completing the arousing contortion. Takeya stared back in awe. It was not as if it was the first time he'd seen her unclothed, but certainly the first he'd been able to really appreciate it.

Sensing every bit of his reaction to her, Ren smiled, her eyes still half-laden and glazed over with desire. Mere moments passed before she quickly dismounted from Takeya enough to pull off what remained of his clothing with surprising speed, Takeya assisting by not resisting. As she took a moment to survey him uncovered, she felt her body give a shudder of pleasure at the thought of taking him into her. Objectively one could say he was not all that muscular, nor was he particularly large, but his body was healthy and taut, nicely fitting his quite attractive face, and his form fitted together with hers almost perfectly. Regardless, to Ren he was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on.

"Takeya…"

Her expression grew ever more lustful.

"Let us satiate each other…"

She proceeded to lick her lips in a way that made Takeya's eyes widen, her naked form pouncing on him as she renewed her ministrations to his lips and ground her body against his.

Now that she was heading into uncharted territory, Ren allowed her programming to guide the basics of her actions while her conscious mind continually analyzed the feelings and desires Takeya was emitting. Her programming knew exactly what to do here as a DearS, namely monitor and draw out her master's lust to its fullest extent, slowly and carefully if need be while preventing a premature climax with her empathic abilities. Managing the lust properly was essential. She was to fuel it like a steadily rising flame. She was to make the process to climax last, and then satiate the lust as they at last orgasmed in synch, and to do so again and again if the master could handle it and wanted it. For the Dears' own lust would last as long as the master's did. Not that Ren needed Takeya's lust to start an amorous exchange since she desired him regardless.

This adaptation for altering and perfecting climaxes was evolved for the purpose of pleasing the host while giving the DearS even more reason to seek it from the pleasure they themselves gained. Of course, in general DearS were made to feel immense pleasure at fulfilling any desires of others, but Ren found her feelings for Takeya seemed to increase that feeling all the more. It was such a wonderful sensation spreading over her body as Takeya found the confidence to return her touch with equal passion.

_Damn she really is like an alien succubus… I never thought- oh she feels so good… is this really happening? Am I really doing this? I… I can't think any more, I don't want to… _were among the thoughts passing through Takeya as he tried to absorb the flood of sensations assailing his body as Ren ravished him. This continued for several minutes until he found himself getting light-headed from the lack of air.

Then, quite suddenly, she released him with a gasp and held her face close to his, breathing heavily as did he and staring at him with a longing he found hard to accept was directed at him. She seemed to want to claim him, to utterly consume him, and in turn be consumed, to push their bodies to their very limits of sensation. Having to stop to breathe was but an annoying necessity, and so she continued to take in deep and rapid breaths for a bit before diving into his mouth again.

A short time later they came up for air once more and he watched in nothing short of wonderment at Ren carefully, yet enthusiastically, altering her position a bit to begin to maneuver herself properly over his arousal. Ren knew many other types of foreplay and oral pleasure could precede this, but she simply didn't want to wait anymore. She also knew Takeya was not all that into such things no matter what his porn showed. Nor did Ren need any more priming after what Takeya had done with her breasts. She had been wet from her earlier orgasm and now was getting even wetter. She needed release, the release he could give her, that he _wanted _to give her.

"Takeya…" she panted, staring right into his eyes, "Ren wants to be one with you, Ren wants to feel you inside her. Ren wants Takeya… wants Takeya _now_." Takeya was too breathless to give an answer verbally, but Ren didn't need one.

She closed her eyes in concentration and slowly began to rock herself over him, letting out cyclic, husky moans as she did, lowering her body further and further onto him as she gyrated. He grasped at the bed with his hands, his body arching into her, his eyes rolling back and an involuntary series of moans escaping his mouth. His mind reeled in shock as he and Ren were brought to a whole new level of pleasure.

Ren's hair, her soft, sweet-smelling hair, lay splayed out around them, the long blue locks flailing erotically with the couple's movements. Her tresses waved like loose streamers with the motions of Ren's body, stray strands tickling Takeya's nose. The stimulating sight prompted him to still her face with his hands and catch her lips in a deep kiss, which she eagerly returned. He knew he would never be able to refuse the feel of those lips again.

Her passions continued to grow, and Ren now bucked and grinded against him with such fervor that Takeya feared he might pass out and for a time he was reduced to rocking himself with her in ecstasy. Slowly adjusting to find the perfect rhythm, they exchanged wet kisses and clawing caresses, pleasured moans and other lascivious cries continuing to emit from them. By now Ren had fully brought him into her, bringing their sensations to ever-greater heights.

_Takeya is… inside me!_ The full realization of this came as Ren was drowned in pure bliss. She and her master, her lover, her precious one, were now as close as physically possible, he in her and she coupled to him. Grasped by a hunger beyond compare, she could only think to wrap her legs around him more tightly, arching her back and thrusting him into her as much as possible as she continued to writhe with him. It was a pleasure even more intense than what he had done to her breasts.

Takeya would later find the mental clarity to wonder as to how things had gone on this long. With what Ren was doing to him he would have expected to have unwillingly climaxed early on, yet despite ever feeling so close to it he hadn't. He ended up reasoning that it must have been another of the DearS abilities, to make the process of 'satisfying' as perfect as possible for the host. Of course at the time all he could think of was holding and fondling Ren, complimenting her movements with his body while allowing his mind to be drawn into the maelstrom of sensations. He kissed her neck, her lips, his actions becoming frenzied in his desire for her and still she responded in kind. He wanted her, needed her so badly now that he clung to her glorious body as if she were tethered to his very life, wanting nothing but to continue with her to the end.

_No…_ Takeya now reasoned, _not just a succubus. She's a goddess… a sex goddess._ "Ren- _oh Ren_!" he gasped and cried out for reasons he couldn't explain before Ren's mouth captured his again.

Ren could feel her and Takeya's bodies reaching a zenith of pleasure, one that they would fly in for as long as possible before satiating themselves in a surging flood of climax. Her body was screaming for the release of the final and greatest pleasure, an end to the glorious torture, as was Takeya's, and it was all she could do to keep holding their climax back. _Not yet… a little more… a little longer… _her breath quickened even more as their movements accelerated, their moans growing louder, their lusts palpable, their toes curling, legs flailing, bodies thrashing. _Ren can feel it, Ren can feel… oh Takeya…Takeya!_

Neither could find it in them to speak their thoughts, they could only express the passion they felt now with whatever heavy moan or pleasured whimper managed to escape through their rapid breaths and grappling lips. There was no aggression in those sounds, only a need and a response to its satiation that could not be expressed in mere words. Their cries reached a crescendo as they peaked, then slowly descended but lost none of their passion, the light from Ren's markings bathed the room and all they could feel anymore was each other. Time, space, their surroundings, all of it seemed to fade into insignificance, their forms writhing in the ecstasy of this most primal of dances.

--

Notes:

Okay you voyeuristic perverts. You've had your fun, now let's give the couple some privacy, nothing more to see here. (shoos readers away but remains himself)

What? The scenes came from my head. I can watch them as long as I want. stares

One more chapter to go.


	5. Chapter 5: Continuation

DearS: New Contact

**DearS: New Contact**

Disclaimer: Despite rumors to the contrary that may or may not exist, I don't own DearS

"Quotes" Normal speech and quoted speech

'Quotes' Quotes within quotes

_Italics_ Thoughts and specially emphasized words

--

Chapter Five: Continuation

--

Two pairs of wide curious eyes stared at him, their owners whispering excitedly in each other's ears back and forth as though sharing some scandalous gossip.

Takeya grimaced, attempting the most irritated glare he could. It had no effect.

China began to slowly circle him, trying to study every detail she could. Nia scampered about on all fours and sniffed his shoes.

They had been like this ever since he they'd noticed him daydreaming with a smile on his face on a couch in the recreation room (originally made solely to be used by masters but now becoming popular with curious DearS). Takeya's eyebrow twitched. "WHAT?! What do you want?!"

Not the least bit intimidated, the DearS in fact seemed to ignore the outburst. China turned to Nia. "You're right," she noted, "he does seem different somehow." Her eyes shined with mischief. "So this is a human in 'afterglow?'"

Takeya stiffened at the implication, only for Nia to suddenly clamber up on his back and start sniffing around him more thoroughly. He struggled to not laugh from the ticklish sensations as he shook the odd DearS off.

Nia landed with the grace and smoothness afforded by her training as a Biter. "Ren's smell is on him more than normal-nia," she stated with a toothy grin, "also another smell. Smells like calamari-ni!"

China racked her brain for a few seconds as she tried to recall what calamari was, she had absorbed a lot of information since her awakening. She snapped her fingers when she came to a conclusion. "So Takeya had sex with Ren and then ate squid?"

As Takeya watched in stunned silence, Nia shook her head. "No-ni. On second thought it isn't that smell, just similar-ni! It makes Nia feel frisky-ni!" she said grinning and hopping about to emphasize. She turned to Takeya with wide, innocent eyes. "Can you make more of that smell-nia?"

Takeya gaped in disbelief. He'd showered, there was no way they should have noticed! Okay, so admittedly he and Ren had done some… things… during the shower… really, really _nice_ things (Ren had clearly learned from the disaster of her long ago seduction attempt in Takeya's bath) but still!

"Oh, you need Ren to help-ni!" Nia remarked in realization, the innocence leaving her face. "Guess you really do go for big booby DearS after all-ni." She smirked wryly and meowed with excitement, "she gave you those little nips on your neck too didn't she-ni? Love bites-ni! Hickey city-ni!"

Takeya could only continue to gape. He was sure he had briefly stopped breathing at this point. Had he really been in such a hazy bliss that morning to not notice the several 'love bites' Ren had given him had left small marks? He was too embarrassed to even deny anything, but managed some small hope of escape when Io entered, clearly intending to speak with someone as she proceeded straight toward the group.

He should have known better, for the first thing out of her mouth was a monotone "As I sensed. So, you finally consummated, allowed her to satiate you. A number of times it would seem. We need to speak again, alone." She glanced at Nia and China.

China rather than Nia, of course, was the one to notice the hint to leave. It was odd how imposing Io could appear. Perhaps it was due to the fact she carried on her head a strange creature that was also a genetic bomb capable of destroying an entire species. "You can give us details on how Ren appeased you later Master!" the Zero Number said loudly as she grabbed Nia by the arm and dragged her out of the room.

"Its like I'm wearing a freaking sign," Takeya exclaimed bitterly, the sound of China and Nia giggling fading into the background as they left, "there's no privacy with you people!"

"Calm yourself," Io remarked, detached in tone as ever. "It is simply that DearS are sensitive to both emotional and physical changes in others. And anyone who looked closely could notice the marks on your neck. The scent of sex is quite distinctive, as are the emotional reactions that occur during and after it. Your privacy was not intruded on, those who were close to your room merely felt the emotional overflow. I was at a distance but as a Watcher my senses are tied into those of every DearS on this ship and so I could not help but notice the emanations from Ren. There is no doubt you brought her a great deal of pleasure."

Takeya was honestly not as upset as he was trying to act. Even such embarrassment couldn't do much to ruin his mood after the night and morning he had just had. His memories felt tinted in a surreal, dreamlike haze of pleasure and happiness. He and Ren had slept in the other's arms, awoken around the same time and simply stared at each other fondly in bed for a good while, before wordlessly making love again. Only then had they spoken of what had transpired, Ren going into details of what she had liked to a degree that made him blush. Still, he found it in him to compliment her back and Ren had been, as usual, ecstatic over being 'praised.' He had later gone to take a morning shower only to soon find Ren, and, contrary to what he expected, himself, up for more in the new location.

To say Ren had proved to be an amazing lover was an understatement, not that he would willingly reveal that to Io or his earlier duo of tormentors. And while he was certainly satisfied, thinking about it was enough to make him want to go find Ren and do everything all over again.

Io closed her eyes in thought. "To be truthful, it is unusual that it has taken this long for Ren to mate."

"What do you mean?" he asked, preferring this type of conversation over her asking him direct questions about what he had done with Ren.

"All DearS are specialized to some degree, even though it is encouraged that we excel in multiple abilities, and some such specialization is more obvious than others. Xaki, for instance, possesses far more combat skills than household ones. Nia's type caters specifically to certain, one might call… eccentric… fetishes. Miu exemplifies an ideal DearS archetype, capable of doing well in most any task given to her, yet even she clearly is most talented when it comes to domestic household skills. It can't be helped I suppose, as even without any real desire to make many of our own choices we DearS have still retained individuality, and all the things that entails."

"Look, that's all fascinating but I thought we were talking about Ren?" Takeya briefly reflected on the irony of the once silent Io talking too much and going off on a tangent. He also had a good idea where this was headed and wanted to get it over with.

"Well yes, my point is that as the Gate Ren is made to excel most in activities related to procreation." Takeya rolled his eyes in response to Io proving his prediction on the conversation right. "In order to best ensure that she gains sperm donors the Gate is formed to be as sexually attractive in every way as possible, even beyond that of other DearS, and to possess superior programming in seduction techniques as well as heightened empathic abilities for both sensing and causing sexual desire. Surely you've noticed her breasts are proportionally larger than most other DearS? Symbolic it might be said, of her capacity to breed, even though we have long evolved past using them to feed infants as your kind does. You may also have noticed her empathic abilities picked up on sexual desire from you more easily and quickly than they did other feelings."

Takeya could admit that much was true. Early on Ren rarely seemed to sense anything from him except for when his sexual desires got out of hand. It was only later that she learned to discern hurt feelings, nervousness, confusion and other such emotional states with real accuracy.

Io continued, "I suspect it was some combination of your resistance to the idea and the temporary mental and behavioral impairments caused by her unorthodox awakening that delayed your consummation this long. Still, it was so odd that I took the liberty of asking your parents for access to your medical records."

"You what?!"

"I was merely concerned that you may have been impotent," was Io's reaction to his outburst. "If that were the case there were treatments we possess that would have cured the condition."

"I have no condition!" Takeya ranted dramatically. "Why is it so strange that I didn't want to just jump in the sack with an girl I barely knew who wasn't even the same species as me?!"

"It is true, to some extent," Io acknowledged, "that such intimacy is not rushed into among elder members of your race. The unusual conditions of your meeting play a part as well. Regardless it is more typical of males your age to rush to something they desire and think of the consequences later, if ever. Many in your place would have bedded Ren as soon as she offered and with only her inborn instincts and knowledge to guide her she would have gladly given herself and done whatever they wanted. Faced with someone so desirable ready to throw herself at you, I'm sure even your thoughts were not initially concerned much over whether she loved you or not. This is nothing to be ashamed of. As I said, the Gate's primary function is to entice males to inseminate her."

"How can you say things like that so casually?!" Takeya didn't know how many more of these conversations his heart could take. He may have been intimate with Ren but that hardly meant he was comfortable with the subject of sex around others. Heck he still blushed talking about it with Ren.

Io shrugged. "It is part of what we are, a parasitic race that is also somewhat symbiotic. We live to be as pleasing toward the host as possible, and this principle extends to all facets of our lives, including reproduction and sexual behavior. It is not as strange as you make it seem, humans can behave in similar ways when attempting to fit into a group they desire to belong with, doing whatever they can to please the others. The difference is, once we have gained host, we DearS require true affection from them in order to thrive."

"On that note I suppose it is for the best that it took you two so long to get to this point, it allowed time for both your emotions to mature and grow. In the process Ren became something much more than a slave or even our Gate, rather she became the catalyst for a transformation in the DearS race. Whatever force guides the revelatory bonding we call a Gift, it seems it is never off in the choice."

"On that we definitely agree," Takeya remarked, unable to stifle a bit of anger at the thought of anyone using Ren the way Io described earlier.

"Oh, and by the way. There was something I neglected to mention yesterday that you should watch for in the coming days." She brought out a small scanning device and checked the readings she had apparently been gathering during their talk. "This confirms it," she noted and put the device back, attaching it to her side through some type of magnetic mechanism. "That is, there will be side effects to having consummated with Ren."

Takeya turned to her, apprehension gripping him. "S-side effects?! Why the hell did you wait until now to tell me?!"

"I forgot," Io stated with her usual aloofness. It was the truth, Io wasn't immune to rare lapses in memory. "Now, as I was saying, as the Gate, Ren has a subconscious psychic link with all living DearS, a psychic link that can alter our very genetic structure. It is this link that enabled the rapid changes within our bodies that have lengthened our life spans and perhaps made us fertile, as well as opened our minds to a greater understanding of emotions. As part of a Gift, Ren also has a link with you, as exemplified by your ability to sense each other. Thus It stands to reason with the many physical deficiencies humans suffer from, it would be judged fitting by her subconscious to alter your body as well now that you have confirmed for her that you will be her mate."

"Alter?!" Takeya cringed, unable to suppress the image of himself horribly mutating into some kind of tentacle-armed monster.

"If legends concerning Gifts are to be believed, and your example has proven them all true so far, they would be minor changes as far as your appearance and behavior go, and pleasing ones as well. Over the course of eons most civilized races in outer space have developed and incorporated into their bodies genetic alterations that remove imperfections in the DNA that cause a number of negative effects. The DearS have as well, for though we have had a relatively short life span until recently, we are still immune to most of the negative effects of aging. Cancers and most other such illnesses are also not a problem for our kind. For you to be an effective mate it would be best if you shared these attributes and I am quite certain you will.

"So… you're saying I won't get bald or all wrinkled when I get older?

"Yes, and you will likely live slightly longer as well, though in the end even with such modifications the body does eventually shut down and die. As for wrinkles, those are mostly the result of one's skin not being able to repair damage from solar rays as efficiently as one ages. Revitalizing skin cells is a simple matter for most alien races' technology, including ours. You will simply get the effect automatically due to the Gift."

"Still, people back on Earth are going to want the key to that and fast, it just might be a solution to all the negative attention the DearS have gotten," Takeya realized, pleased at the idea.

Io nodded. "I have considered it. Perhaps a trade would be in order, technology in exchange for Earth's vast supplies of energy and material. It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that our current resources are too limited for my taste," she frowned in distaste.

She continued on. "As for any additional changes, the Gate requires a good deal of mating for an adequate number of eggs to be laid, as well as to maintain her best health and the health of the offspring. The more inseminations the more her body has to work with. So do not be alarmed if you experience an increase in your sexual desire for Ren, as well as your physical ability to perform intercourse repeatedly."

_Increase?!_ Takeya's mind reeled yet again. As if his natural hormones weren't enough he was going to have to deal with even stronger urges? He had to admit he had already displayed more endurance than he honestly thought he had possessed but even so…

"As I said, do not worry. It is not as though such desires will be uncontrollable. As Ren continues to mature you will simply be able to keep up with her. It is said that if a DearS who shares a Gift with their master is cherished by their partner then their body may compel such changes to occur in them for the sake of increased pleasure. This would be even more true for a Gate due to her need to breed. You will be more easily effected by her pheromones and feel less inhibited toward her in general. Essentially you'll be better able to express the desire you already have for her and make it last. The increase will not act on what is not already there."

"And in case you're wondering why we did not use genetic manipulation technology to save ourselves from our deficiencies as slaves during our population crisis, it was because such efforts are futile. No science can alter our life spans and reproductive abilities, as the only complete and active genes that control such things are in The Gate and only she can activate them or alter them and only if given the proper stimulus. It is only in our dealings with humans that we have come to understand how the required stimulus was a Gate who possessed a Gift, a loving bond with a master, and the desire to change to help them both find happiness."

She then hesitated, unaccustomed to the feelings she was about to express. "I'll leave you to yourself now, but first there is one last thing I wanted to tell you."

Takeya stared back at her, confused by how different Io now sounded. The confidence was gone from her voice, and she sounded more like the frail, timid girl she at first glance appeared to be.

"As I said to you once before, saving the DearS is a powerful feeling. However, I never did truly thank you. I was still too conflicted in my own feelings. I remedy that now and thank you sincerely on behalf of myself and all DearS. You and Ren helped keep me from committing an unjust and terrible genocide upon your race." She lowered her eyes, appearing shamed. "I was… disillusioned by my own perceptions, even after all the time I spent with you and your friends. I may not act like it, but I am still fairly new to the world. There are many things I have yet to understand. It seems being programmed with vast knowledge does not equate to the ability to use it correctly."

Takeya now smiled and Io seemed to relax. "Don't worry too much about it, I think we all will always have a lot to learn from each other. That's one reason I volunteered to come with you after all. I intend to find my path while you and the other DearS search for yours. Being Ren's partner is obviously part of that path, but I think there's other stuff waiting for me and everyone else that I can't even imagine right now."

Io nodded, now smiling slightly as well. "Wisdom may always take time, but truly, you are far wiser than you first appear, Takeya. If Ren had not taken you I might consider you eligible as a master for any of the DearS on this ship, even myself. After all, as I recall from before my metamorphosis, you do taste quite good."

Takeya knew she meant it purely as a compliment, but was unnerved all the same at the thought. "Yeah, thanks," he remarked, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

--

Ren had never felt quite so giddy in her life. Happiness was bubbling up inside her to such a degree that she occasionally had to let out a random giggle before she burst. It was all she could do to keep from swooning as she meandered down the hall in a pleasant daze to the dining area to visit other DearS, a slight blush on her face as she relived the previous night and that morning's events. Vestiges of the pleasure radiated through her body even now.

This feeling of completeness, of acceptance, warmth and security… It was so wonderful! She just wanted to scream out about it all, to tell the whole cosmos how much she loved Takeya! She felt like she was floating on air! Wait, she _was_ floating, she at last realized as she bumped her head on the hall ceiling. She then had to force herself to calm down enough to deactivate her anti-gravity ability.

In her current exuberant state Ren could be forgiven for a greater-than-usual lack of tact. And so it was that she grabbed the first DearS she came across, a random green-haired girl whose name she didn't even know, and began a one-sided discussion on the wonders of a sexual relationship.

"Did you know? Did you?" she asked without giving time for an answer. "Ren and Takeya made love last night! And this morning too! And in the shower too! And Takeya was so wonderful, Ren has never felt such pleasure! Ren was able to touch Takeya in the ways she has always wanted to, and Takeya touched Ren in ways that made Ren move without thinking, and he tasted so good, and smelled so good! Making love is better even than eating melon bread! You really must try it! But not with Ren!" In a flash she had turned angry and surprisingly intimidating. "No! Ren is only for Takeya and Takeya is only for Ren! You will make Ren very angry if you try anything with Takeya, understand?"

The other DearS nodded, confused and a bit frightened. Her sudden bout of jealousy forgotten, Ren continued excitedly. "Good! Now Ren must go and talk to Miu! Ren will make everything better! Ren is sure Miu will find love! All DearS will find love and love will SAVE THE UNIVERSE!"

With that Ren let out a happy squeal and ran ahead, leaving the dazed girl behind. Meanwhile, another DearS, a slightly-built, purple-haired boy, had overheard much of Ren's exuberant oration. He walked up behind the still stunned female and cocked his head in confusion. "I do not believe that is a normal reaction to satisfying one's master is it?"

The girl shook her head to clear it, her mind swimming with the emotions Ren had assailed her senses with. "She is the Gate. Perhaps this was caused by pregnancy-induced hormones?" she ventured.

--

It took a while but Ren finally located Miu inside a hanging room, where the pink-haired DearS was unsuccessfully trying to shut her thoughts down. By this point Ren had actually calmed down enough to think about what she was doing and so instead of racing up to her she examined Miu for a short while, trying to sense her current mood.

However, it was Miu who ended up starting the first address, looking up and giving Ren a tired smile. "Ren-san, good day to you. I hope all is going well." Miu was trying very hard not to lose her prim and proper attitude in public, but her words still ended up a bit forced.

"Ren is doing very well, extremely well!" Ren replied with a cheerful smile, growing excited again for a moment. Forcing her emotions back she gave her fellow DearS a serious and pleading look. "Can Miu talk now about yesterday??

"Oh, you remembered?" Miu remarked, a bit surprised. "Alright, but let's go somewhere less crowded."

Ren looked about, there were only a few other DearS in the room. But clearly Miu didn't want anyone to overhear so she'd go along with it. Thus they headed out into the corridors of the ship.

For a bit they walked in silence, trying to gauge each other's mood. Miu honestly tried to be angry or hurt, but she couldn't be. Not in the presence of the happiness Ren was beaming out. It was obvious she and Takeya had been intimate, the feelings Ren was emitting could only come from a DearS who had been so totally accepted and cherished by her master, could only come from someone who had so shared their love with each other. A part of her wanted to fume over that, how Ren had forever taken away something she had hoped to have. Yet her feelings from yesterday had not changed, she truly was happy for the two of them. She just wished she knew how long the hole in her heart would hurt before she found someone able to fill it. Perhaps she first needed to learn more about herself and grow as a person, to have patience. Still, she reasoned she could at least give some closure to her and Ren's rivalry.

She had tried so hard to be a great DearS and had often loudly proclaimed her superiority to the "defective model" that was Ren. Yet in the end Ren had exceeded her in so many ways and proved more than worthy of her blessings. Miu's pride demanded that she acknowledge this directly. "You win Ren-san, you're the Gate, you and Takeya-sama are a Gift… I could never compete with that. I just want you to know I accept that now."

Ren looked to her with a curious expression. "But why must Ren and Miu compete?" She smiled. "Takeya says that we all have our own paths, even when we walk side by side with someone. So Ren knows that we each must open the door to our futures ourselves. The real one Miu must compete with is Miu."

Miu was quite shocked at Ren's application of this lesson learned on Earth to her own life. More so when Ren put a hand on her shoulder and fixed her with a serious gaze. "Miu has to know herself. Ren knows Miu is strong, and smart, and so much more. Miu has to believe in this. Miu has to believe she will be happy and she will be. Ren will help too!"

Miu felt many things in response to Ren's words, but most of all she felt strangely encouraged. "You really think, that I'll be able to have what you and Takeya-sama have, Ren-san?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"Of course!" Ren replied fervently. "If Ren can find love then anyone can. Miu just has to keep looking."

_She's not just saying these things… Ren really does believe in me… and somehow… somehow that makes me want to believe too…_ Her eyes watered a bit. "Yes!" Miu cried, raising her fists with a hopeful smile, her eyes shining, her usual inner-fire restored. "Somewhere out there in the cosmos there is a man for me to love! A man who I can devote myself to completely in every way, who will have need of me and appreciate me! One who can quench my burning desire to serve! I hereby swear to never give up until he is found!"

Ren raised her own fist excitedly, "And Ren swears to help in any way she can!"

Miu suddenly felt downcast again as random doubts assailed her. "But what if… what if I'm not pretty enough for him? What if he wants to just be friends like Takeya-sama?"

"If it is true love then he will accept Miu eventually. And Ren thinks Miu is very beautiful, even if her breasts are small," Ren remarked matter-of-factly, then in a impulsive move that would make Neneko proud began to examine one of them.

"They are NOT SMALL!" Miu roared back, her face flushed and hands to her chest. She pointed an accusing finger at Ren's impressive assets. "Yours are just freakishly large!"

Ren pouted, "Freakishly?"

"Anyway," Miu remarked as she tried to smooth out the massive locks of her hair, which had somehow been frazzled by her outburst, "you are right Ren-san. I am certain that with my good looks, great mind, charming personality and humble attitude, my true love won't be able to help but see me. I will find my path just as you have, I won't lose hope. After all, my pride is still at stake," she ended with a warm smile.

Ren was quite encouraged by the new upswing in Miu's attitude, various ideas now forming in her mind and leaving her mouth before she could think of stopping them. "Then Ren can give you firsthand knowledge about wonderful aspects of satisfying! Did Miu know how amazingly good it feels to have your breasts massaged by a lover, did she? Or how much a man likes it when you-"

Miu turned beet-red. "Ren-san!"

--

After all this the day passed in a quite uneventful manner. Despite the huge changes in Takeya and Ren's relationship, it would have little effect on life on the ship until Ren started to lay eggs, something Io assured would take a few days to happen once she was pregnant and would be quite painless for Ren. There was no guarantee she was already pregnant either, as Io claimed once the process was kick-started by the stimulation of mating it could take a bit for Ren's body to make the inner adjustments needed to make eggs. Then she would need to be successfully fertilized, something that was about as likely to fail as it was in any normal human.

So it was that routines continued as normal. China was schooled in the ways of the DearS, Miu the ever-vigilant tutor for her and other Zero Numbers. Nia trained with various other Biters, napped, and otherwise wandered the ship in an effort to satisfy her boundless curiosity. Ren wowed her fellow DearS with her ability to cook food to their tastes to such a degree that Miu had once referred to it as the "flavor of the cosmos!" She also educated them on the concepts of thinking for themselves and correctly perceiving emotions, though now focusing a great deal on love. Io maintained a near constant watch over the ship's course, searching for planets with appropriate host species. Rumors circulated that she could sleep standing up and with her eyes open. Io herself neither confirmed nor denied them.

Meanwhile Takeya passed time stargazing, reading up on various potential careers and otherwise relaxing, as well as helping the DearS with the accuracy of their knowledge on human behaviors and customs. His critiquing of the sometimes hilariously wrong interpretations they had would inevitably lead to a lot of confused expressions, frustrated groans and shared laughter. Takeya always left such meetings feeling oddly satisfied with his efforts and amused with the process.

That evening Ren greeted him at their door with a hug and a kiss, which he returned just as sincerely though without Ren's hyper enthusiasm. He was still Takeya after all, and Ren wouldn't have it any other way. He no longer pulled away, mentally or physically when she touched him, indeed he touched back, and that was all Ren had dreamt of and wanted.

Things settled down to a quiet dinner between the two and various discussions about the day and muses about the current activities of their friends back on Earth. Her apron in place, Ren collected the dishes, her DearS pride demanded it, giving Takeya an affectionate kiss on the cheek as she did so and considering herself very much the image of a dutiful housewife. If dutiful housewives wore skimpy elastic suits and had blue hair. Takeya only smiled, simply happy that she was happy, he and her perfectly content in the moment. Indeed, Takeya couldn't recall a time in recent memory when he had felt more content and at ease than he did now. After all his stubborn refusals he had at last fully embraced his path with Ren. The emotional benefit he might get completing his career search seemed to pale in comparison. He at last had a better understanding of who he was, and to top it off was pleased with the answers he'd found, even with the troubles that came along. With Ren he found the security and confidence that had so long eluded him, and had given Ren much the same without even realizing it.

Everything was fine between them. Better than fine it was great in fact. There was no new awkwardness, indeed the tension that had built up during their stay here was finally gone and he found himself appreciating Ren in new ways, no longer shoving aside certain more risqué thoughts as he considered her. Every now and then she would glance back to see him admiring her and give what he considered the cutest shy smile and blush before turning back to her work. That led to the little things he thought about now that seemed to matter more than before. There was the adorable way she would cock her head from side to side when she was confused, how cute she looked waking up, sometimes pawing her eyes like a cat, the enthusiasm and joy she expressed for even the most simple gift, or how she could light up a room and make him blush with the smallest of smiles. Even the strange sounds her stomach made when she was hungry seemed endearing now.

Not that Ren was now incapable of annoying him, he just felt overall more comfortable with her quirks. He let out a pleased sigh and leaned back in his chair. He wouldn't call their relationship an ideal blueprint for others to follow, but it was clear they had weathered the recent milestones and come out stronger. He had no trouble thinking of the two of them as a real and official couple now. However strange a couple they might still be, however much standard terms might still not apply to them, it just didn't matter anymore.

Which meant they could begin a new routine, one free of the stress and awkwardness of before, and one that came so naturally that neither Takeya nor Ren had to think much about it. And so after getting cleaned up Takeya slipped into bed, putting an end to his former habit of a cold shower and staying up until he was dead tired. He lay down, this time, for the first time, willfully taking Ren's body in his arms as she climbed in with him. She let out a pleased murmur and laid her face against his neck, giving him a tickling sniff and nuzzle, her hair forming a fragrant pillow for his chin, her hands grasping him close to her as comfort allowed. She whispered a loving goodnight and he returned it.

Takeya considered it strange to think about. For so long he had feared the unknowns of this kind of intimacy with Ren. Not much more than a mere day ago he couldn't have imagined things being this way, and yet here he was nonetheless. He was surprised at how right it all felt. Their bodies warmed each other perfectly, it was amazingly pleasant, and both felt as though they could stay like this forever. Indeed, perhaps it felt _too_ right, as sleep eluded them, neither wanting to give up the conscious enjoyment of each other's body. Inevitably this led to Ren sensing the telltale sparks of desire emerging between them. She took in his wonderful scent and nuzzled him more strongly, soon moving to lightly sucking and nibbling at his neck. Takeya couldn't have suppressed the moan that followed if he had wanted to.

"Takeya…" she whispered in his ear in a tone that caused his breath to quicken, the husky edge to her voice sending his blood racing.

"… yeah, Ren?"

"We don't have to go to sleep right away _do_ we?" She had started to nibble again before her words had even completed.

Linked at they were, no further words were needed and they began to softly kiss at a slow and steady pace, though there was still a lot of tongue and "juice mixing" as Ren would put it. Between them Ren could sense none of the anxiety, fear or despair of before. There was only affection, a sense of no need to hurry things, a contentment in the slow escalation of their passions that somehow acted in harmony with their burgeoning lust as each sought to bring the other to perfect ecstasy yet again.

_I guess Io was right_, Takeya thought to himself, starting to massage her breasts again with one hand and caressing her face with the other, Ren practically purring, sending a pleasant vibration into his mouth in mid-kiss, _everything feels so natural with Ren, and somehow it just keeps getting better… I wonder if I'm addicted now… no… I feel the same as before when it comes to other women, but with Ren everything is different. If I'm addicted to anything its her. Ren, the weirdest, most troublesome, most wonderful girl I've ever known._

Falling deeper into a spell of passion that would ensure they slept well later in the night, Takeya concluded that being addicted to Ren was far from a bad thing and as long as she was there he didn't really care what changed inside him or what the future held. He could definitely get used to this, if he wasn't already.

After all, if Ren had taught him anything since they met it was that change could be good.

So very good.

--

Hold your hand

(Pay attention to me)

Touch and feel

(Fawn on me)

Gnaw and taste

(Stare in me)

Through the night

(Kiss me)

--

Notes:

The song at the end is from the opening of the DearS anime and really sums up this story just about perfectly I think. The stuff about Ren changing Takeya's body is made up by me, but seems possible and makes sense since she and Takeya share a connection due to the Gift.

The two random DearS are just that, random DearS that will hold no importance as characters in any future stories that may or may not be written. I just needed someone for Ren to express her excitement to.

For my final thoughts I'll note that what I love about DearS is that it's more than just some ecchi series (if it can even really qualify as ecchi). It has real heart in it and characters you can really like and admire. I hope my story was able to convey some of that and do DearS justice. As wonderful an ending as the manga had I still felt it was incomplete without resolving the sexual tension between Takeya and Ren that filled the series. Admitting he loved her wasn't quite enough for me when we never even got to see a real reciprocal kiss. Thus this story was born.

--

Below this you'll find excerpts from various scenes I've written for potential future stories of DearS that continue their adventures once they return to Earth. I don't know or when if I'll be inspired enough to make them into complete stories, so by putting them here people will at least be able to read what I have written for them. Should someone want to use any of my story ideas, feel free to. It would be appreciated if you credited me though.

--

Excerpt 1: Summary of the DearS and their history

Takeya found himself taking a moment to appraise how unlikely he would have considered his current situation not so long ago. For some time after their arrival on Earth he had been suspicious of the alien beings that had become called DearS by their supporters. He was confidant that there was no way such beings could be as perfect and well-intentioned as the DearS were made out to be and made it no secret to his peers that he cared little for them.

Ironically his suspicions had turned out to be partially right. For while the DearS may have been ideal physically their personalities could be every bit as flawed as a humans. At the same time they were very different from most humans in their thought processes.

In fact it turned out the DearS who came to Earth were the last survivors of an alien race that had evolved to be the ideal servants of others, a true slave race. Every fiber of their being seemed dedicated toward serving the wishes of others, to the extent that making their own decisions was a rather foreign concept to most of them. Yet, conversely they used their 'masters' just as much. The dark side of the DearS was that they were in fact in some ways more like parasites than slaves. They depended upon a host species to thrive and adopted the role of slave in order to gain such hosts. Usually the relationship was quite symbiotic, but only to a point, after which they could become quite detrimental to the host to say the least. Not that the DearS came to their hosts with malicious intent, their parasitic side was simply a survival mechanism geared for their race's own self preservation.

For should the host species at some point prove to not be compatible with the DearS, the psychic effects on the very empathic species would become deadly. To deal with this there existed a Watcher for every generation of DearS. The Watcher's task was normally like that of a leader for the DearS, but beyond that carried the responsibility of a terrible weapon, a genetic bomb that could be used to destroy a host race. This was possible because while the DearS did need hosts to thrive, they could live without them for some time should the hosts become a threat.

The inhabitants of Earth ended up learning of this DearS last resort first hand and almost experienced it. Due to great controversy and repressed fears, human hatred for DearS had at one point reached a very high level, high enough to threaten the remaining DearS' lives. The newest Watcher, Io, had nearly used the genetic bomb with the intention of wiping out humanity while preserving all other life forms on the planet. It was only the last minute influence of Takeya and Ren's confessions of love for each other, and the coinciding compassion of those who had come to know individual DearS as friends and loved ones, that had turned the tide enough for Io to reconsider.

In the end Io decided not to destroy the humans, but also refused to accept them as a host species. A compromise was made between her and the former Watcher Fina, wherein all DearS who wished to remain on Earth could. Many had, some having found masters, others having discovered how bonds of love and friendship could serve their needs for serving almost as well as having a true master. Io and a number of other DearS, however, chose to search space for other hosts. Takeya had decided to come along, as he had not yet decided just what to do with his life, vowing to return home when he became a better man than his father.

Such a compromise was only possible because of one particular DearS who had been given the name Ren. She was the DearS Gate, and as such the only individual among them with the ability to reproduce. She also possessed a strong empathic connection that gave her a certain degree of influence over the entire DearS race on both a mental and physical level. This influence had activated due to the changes Ren had undergone as she learned about love and life and it had started things that had yet to be fully understood. Normally a new Watcher replaces the old one due to her death, as DearS had fairly short life spans. Yet Ren's experiences had altered this. DearS life spans were somehow extended, their life forces strengthened. DearS in general were also becoming more capable of understanding lives outside of being slaves, though serving remained their primary concern.

--

Excerpt 2: On Ren and Takeya's relationship

He was quite sure having Ren as a lover wasn't exactly typical for the same relationship with another human, not that Takeya had expected it to be. To put it mildly Ren was extremely affectionate, tending to touch him whenever they were within arms length of each other and especially desiring skin contact whenever possible. It had taken some getting used to in more ways than one as feeling her responses to the contact through their empathic link was a bit overwhelming at first. It was hard to believe she felt that much pleasure even from such light contact. Not that he wasn't himself quite addicted to her touch now. Sex, once such a mystery to him personally, was now a nearly daily occurrence due to Ren's (to put it bluntly) raging libido and her link to him enabling Takeya's body to handle it. It had never become dull either, with Ren every time seemed so unique and wondrous with a quality that just couldn't be fully described.

Of course, their relationship consisted of more than erotic bliss. He was happy to say they had actually had a real fight a few weeks earlier (real as in a fight where both he and Ren got angry at the other). Admittedly it was over something silly, namely he contesting her claim melon bread was without a doubt the best food in the known universe. Normally he wouldn't have cared a bit abut her saying this but in this case she was trying to get him to have it as a meal for the fifth day in a row and he had simply snapped at her.

In addition, his disagreeing had not been what upset her but rather his statement that her view was stupid and bringing in Io and Miu to support his argument. Ren had viewed this as a low blow by ganging up on her and a way of saying Takeya thought she was truly stupid. This was far from the truth but in their angered states her judgement was clouded and their empathic link weakened to where Ren could not discern Takeya's true feelings. Takeya on the other hand had been so angered by Ren "overreacting" that his end of the link had also been muffled. They had refused to speak to each other for several hours but the fight had quickly ended once they had both cooled down a bit and sought each other out. They crossed paths in a hallway, felt a bit of each other's inner turmoil, and promptly began to profusely apologize to each other before running off to engage in some rather eager makeup sex. It may not have been much of a fight but he still took it as a sign that their relationship was as normal and healthy as a relationship between a human and alien breeder could be.

It wasn't as though Ren or he were freakishly addicted to sex, they just enjoyed it very much, although Takeya was still usually highly flustered at talking about it, especially in public. Ren just had a very healthy sexual appetite befitting an alien born to reproduce and Takeya, in addition to being a hormonal adolescent, had assimilated some aspects of Ren's nature when he took the role of being her partner.

They enjoyed many other activities too. Talking with her could always lift his spirits, even if she was the one being comforted, especially since she now knew enough about most things to hold an intelligent conversation. At the same time her classic patented Ren-logic often showed through, though Takeya found it these days to usually be more endearing than annoying, and in fact often quite deep if one thought about it long enough. The world would truly be a better place if hurt feelings or sore tempers could always be solved with a hug, a kiss or a batch of melon bread.

Increasingly his thoughts turned to adapting back to a semi-normal life on Earth with Ren in a new apartment. Though calling it an apartment seemed a bit of an understatement as their new place was to be far larger and nicer than a typical apartment. Io had maintained that the DearS's Gate and her Mate deserved at least decent housing and that she would provide the funds for it using money available through the various ties the DearS had with the government of Japan. Takeya had eventually agreed, with the condition that he pay for the place as soon as he got a job with enough pay to do so, and that Io agree to never refer to him and Ren as Gate and Mate in public. He had also wisely made sure terms like "consort, bedmate," and especially "sperm donor," were also off limits. Indeed, he thought it best not to advertise the romantic nature of their relationship yet. Living with her would get the DearS enough bad press as it was. It wasn't like he didn't want people to know he and Ren were a couple, but he was afraid of the possible consequences for Ren and the other DearS if the nature of their relationship became widely known. But that partly depended on how much views on Earth had changed in their time away. The idea of marrying Ren had even crossed his mind, but he knew that such a thing could enrage some people as well. Of course there was some basis for this view. They were technically different species. On the other hand it was part of the DearS life cycle to use other species for reproduction, so from that angle such a union couldn't be regarded as unnatural.

When it came to keeping such matters under wraps it wasn't the other DearS that were a main concern as much as Ren herself was. He knew he needed to have a talk with her about how some of her behavior around him would not be acceptable in public. This had been an issue many times in their first year together, Ren impulsively doing things or saying things that he found highly embarrassing. He knew now that she would certainly understand the reasons for why she had to restrain herself, but he still feared telling her, afraid of hurting her feelings. For Takeya, restraint in personal matters except when in private had always been what he was most comfortable with in most everything, so he knew he could handle largely keeping his hands off Ren in public without too much difficulty.

However, he also knew that for Ren one of her greatest joys was being able to finally express her affection for him freely, though she had developed enough of a sense of shame to not want to do anything more intimate than kiss in public. Albeit such kisses were usually far more than simple pecks on the cheek, and though she knew this could embarrass Takeya, it was still hard for her mind to comprehend how displaying the sacred bond they shared could ever be inappropriate. For Ren, a kiss on the lips was more than just a pleasurable experience, but also an affirmation to others that she saw Takeya as the sole person in the universe with a sovereign right to that kiss. She had given him the sacred kiss when they had first bonded as servant and master and every one after was a reminder of the divine inspiration she felt compelled her to select him on that day seemingly so long ago. It had been a sensation of need for him that she still could not fully comprehend and could never be overly sated.

On the ship such displays weren't really an issue. Most of the DearS completely ignored Ren's greetings and affectionate displays and Takeya could quickly take them somewhere private if either wanted to do more. On that note he was glad the novelty of their relationship had rapidly waned for China and Nia, they no longer accosted him or Ren asking for details as to their intimate encounters. He was also happy to say Ren did restrain herself if Miu was around, in consideration for whatever lingering feelings she might have for him.

On Earth on the other hand, he knew he would never hear the end of it if his friends ever saw Ren bound up to him for a very deep kiss and period of fondling. Add to that the attention such behavior might get from strangers and the media and some real problems could arise. It was going to be hard enough to endure Oihiko's inevitable interrogations once he learned that he and Ren were officially together (a subject Takeya had avoided with him before leaving Earth), especially since he could no longer truly deny that he knew what "it" was like with Ren. He actually was hoping one of the DearS or any girl for that matter would take an interest in the guy so that his porn-addicted friend would stop trying to vicariously live a fantasy life through him.

His thoughts might have meandered longer, had a pair of slim arms not wrapped around him from behind as he lay in bed. He smiled at Ren's familiar warm presence and began to grow excited at the equally familiar feel of her lust saturating the air. She began to kiss, suck and nibble at his neck. She was hungry it seemed. Even a good night of lovemaking wasn't always enough to completely sate her.

"I want you to touch me Takeya… touch Ren… _please_."

Takeya wasn't sure what exactly caused Ren to use first-person speech on occasion, but it always got his attention. Not that Ren's request would not have otherwise. It was as logical as it was fun that one of Ren's most distinctive attributes had proven to be so receptive to pleasure, from him at least. He loved being able to make her climax this way, watching in pride at how he could pleasure her. Not to mention such "priming" tended to result in Ren becoming _extremely_ amorous to a degree that insured a great time for both would follow.

Ren had been uncovered from the start due to the night's activities and was so eager she practically pulled Takeya's hands to her chest as the two adjusted themselves on the bed until he was straddled over her, sitting on his knees, each hand doing its best to cup her breasts. Her breath already quickening in anticipation, he bent forward to add his mouth and things progressed from there, Ren cooing, moaning and crying out more and more until she came.

--

Excerpt 3: Nia and Xaki reunite

"Nia…" he acknowledged plainly.

"Teacher," the catlike DearS replied, looking abnormally serious.

Silence followed as the two stared each other down. Then, with movements too fast for the untrained eye to follow, each launched themselves at the other and started a fierce sparring session. Nia attacked with inhuman agility, spinning and flipping in every imaginable direction and loosing a flurry of seemingly random punches and kicks. Xaki responded with a fluid and relaxed style, not wasting a bit of energy as he turned Nia's strikes aside with well-timed blocks then just as smoothly retaliated with a powerful kick or punch of his own. In turn Nia used her greater flexibility and smaller size to dodge around his moves.

This went on for over a minute as the others watched in stunned fascination. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The two again stood apart, staring each other down. Nia nursed a sore stomach where she had been kicked quite hard, while Xaki's right cheek was rapidly developing a bruise.

Then, in an unusual display of emotion, Xaki smiled slightly. "You've improved a great deal Nia. Never before have you been able to land such a clean hit on me."

"Nia had to be able to protect everyone-nii," Nia replied as she smirked back. "Nia had to become a Biter who could equal her teacher-nii."

--

Excerpt 4: A new pairing

"W-w-ait…" He slowly looked from Hiro to Neneko and back again. Then he did it a third time for good measure before he was able to form a coherent response. "Y-you, and Neneko?"

"Freaky isn't it?" Neneko remarked casually adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose. Hiro seemed content to let Neneko take the initiative in explaining and merely smiled suavely with his eyes shut but keeping his hand on hers. "After Xaki made him his master I was about the only girl who would come near him anymore. He was pretty desperate for female attention at the time. It was so pathetic it was funny so I took pity on him." She smirked as Hiro coughed uncomfortably and blushed a bit.

"We started spending time together, got to know each other and things just sort of," now Neneko blushed "happened."

While Takeya gaped in shock Ren beamed, simply ecstatic to see two of her friends had found happiness like what she had with Takeya. "This is wonderful, congratulations to you both!"

--

Excerpt 5: Hiro and Takeya talk

"Despite my initial feelings, much like you it seems having a DearS choose me as a master has ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me. If it weren't for Ren refusing me and Xaki chasing away everyone else, I may have been forever blinded to the treasure that was before me all this time."

"Neneko-chan isn't at all like any other girl I've known, and as you know I've known a lot. Of course, I always knew she was special. The fact she is about the only human girl from our school who never swooned over me caught my attention even back when I was chasing Ren. She may not have the curves of some girls but I find her spunk incredibly alluring. She is extremely cute as well. She is a conquest like no other…" he trailed off wishfully.

Takeya didn't like the sound of that. "And just what have you been doing to 'conquer' her?" he asked, a threatening edge to his voice.

Hiro caught the anger in his tone but didn't seem too concerned with it. "Don't misunderstand me Ikuhara. I have not conquered Neneko, and I doubt I ever truly will. She makes me work for every kiss and never falls for even my most subtle charms. That's what makes her so interesting. I find myself admiring that strength."

"Even so, if you do ever hurt her I want you to know there won't be a place far enough for you to ever get away from me."

Suddenly Xaki was between them. "While I appreciate your concern for your friend, I assure you Hiro has no ill intentions for her. I also must inform you that if you did attempt to harm him I would be obligated to enforce consequences."

Just as suddenly Ren now stood between Xaki and Taki. "And I must inform you that there will by equally severe consequences should any harm come to Takeya." She wore a smile but her tone and eyes were deadly serious.

Xaki suppressed a gasp of surprise, _she is still faster than me! _ He honestly had never really gotten over that blow to his ego.

Neneko got between the four and held up her hands. "Okay, okay, let's all calm down."

--

Excerpt 6: A romantic and steamy vacation

His eyes widened as he realized too late just what a dangerous weapon that yellow bikini could be. Though then again, the sight that greeted him would have been hard to resist ogling regardless.

She seemed to rise from the pool in slow motion, water cascading off her back and flowing along her curves, her soaked hair seeming to wrap about her for a moment like a series of ribbons. The water seemed to make everything about her more apparent, from her alien red eyes to her seemingly endless legs.

Ren of course was acutely aware of what Takeya was feeling, indeed she had been eagerly waiting for a strong response from him ever since he had seen the suit. He had kept himself in check somehow but now she knew she had him.

She sat down next to him, leaning back and stretching her body out in a slow sensuous manner, then looking at him with an expression of such false innocence that even without their link he'd have no doubt she knew exactly what she was doing to him. "Shall we return to our room… Takeya?"

_But we just got here!_ One side of Takeya's mind argued, and was promptly deafened by the crowd of raging hormones he had now screaming inside him. He was certain he saw some of them holding up cardboard signs proclaiming 'GO FOR IT!' 'JUMP HER BONES!' 'RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!' and various other things perhaps not fit to print.

"R-Ren," he sputtered, trying and failing to look away from her as her finger trailed down his chest, "you're r-really not playing f-fair." He dimly recalled how it had been much easier to resist her back before he experienced just what she was capable of when it came to… intimate activities.

She cocked her head cutely, then betrayed the barest hint of a smirk on her lips, "That is not an answer. Takeya…" she continued to stroke a finger along his chest, making him shiver from the tingling sensation that reverberated through him in response, "you want to come with me, don't you?"

It surprised him just how very sly and teasing she had learned to be in her flirting when she wanted to be. In the end all he could do was nod dumbly. After all, he reasoned, this trip was about having fun and spending time together, not necessarily swimming. And so the two left for their room as quickly and discreetly as they could, the male population of the pool heaving sighs of despair at the goddess's departure and whispered words of envy toward her lucky consort.

As he watched her walk confidently ahead, her amazing hips swaying hypnotically for him, he was reminded all the more strongly of how Ren had changed in recent months. With the frustration and anxiety of having never 'satisfied' him no longer an issue, Ren had rapidly eased into enjoying just how hot and bothered she was able to make Takeya. It had become a sort of game for her.

And oh did she play it well…

As forward as she was, she would still sometimes play hard to get, teasing him in ever inventive ways. She could be amazingly playful and cute and yet still overwhelmingly seductive. It was not at all mean-spirited, she didn't ever bait him with the intent of not delivering. She simply loved the process of making sure he was as hot for her as she was for him. She saw it as making sure the spice remained in their relationship, and to give him a needed jump-start on those rare occasions when his libido couldn't match hers.

Just as she needed, and Takeya had provided, whenever her empathic senses became so stressed by her surroundings that she slipped into a mild depression. This rarely happened and usually could only be caused by Takeya or one of her close friends becoming very upset or sad. Her change in behavior was usually enough to drag Takeya out of his self pity and pleasure her, helping himself out of his funk in the process. It was really quite therapeutic.

As he closed and locked the door he turned to see her standing a few feet beside him. Her towel lay forgotten on the floor, Ren leaning against the wall, her eyes half-lidded as she looked at him, a view of the setting sun in a nearby window illuminating her body in a warm glow. Ren had thoroughly mastered the 'come hither' stare, that was for sure, and was the very vision of a love goddess.

Added to that was the glistening effect of the water droplets which seemed to make her look even more tempting than normal and he was overwhelmed by the desire to taste her wet skin. Giving into the impulse he firmly pushed Ren up against the wall and began kissing her face, then neck, drinking up the water as he did and moving lower. Ren offered no resistance, her only response being to hold onto him and wrap a leg around his to better support herself, loosing a pleasured gasp as he threw his inhibitions aside.

As happy as Ren was with usually being the more forward of the pair, she still found a special pleasure in getting Takeya excited enough to make the first moves, even if it was a bit difficult to restrain her own instincts of acting to satisfy his desires. But now she reveled in the feeling of his lips roaming her skin, sucking and nibbling in the ways he knew she liked best. In turn her small voice issued various moans and sighs of encouragement to his ministrations.

Still, Ren could only be so patient, and Takeya sometimes took more time than she liked to get to the best stuff on his own volition. So, after a minute or so of being ravished against the wall, Ren gently pulled away, bringing Takeya's hands to his sides and taking a step back. Breathing heavily, he looked on in confusion as she teasingly sashayed away a few steps only to crawl onto the bed and lay out on it, leaning back and looking at him invitingly.

"Takeya…" she ran a hand through her damp tresses, sieving out a few more drops that slid along her neck, shoulders and chest.

His breath again taken away, Takeya gulped in reflex as his eyes seemed to roam over her form of their own will, widening and straining not to blink.

"Ren is still wet…" she coyly completed the seduction by running a finger through the droplets, spreading them slowly over her chest, some disappearing into her more-than generous cleavage, her fingers tracing their paths.

No real thought was involved in Takeya's response. Utterly enraptured, his body simply moved toward her.

Some time later Ren licked lightly at the salty sheen of Takeya's neck, both of them still wet but with sweat instead of pool water. She pulled herself closer, continuing to nibble and suck on his skin till he moaned her name in his sleep. With those last remnants of her lust sated for the moment, she smiled, then nuzzled against him and soon joined the man who was at once her master, friend and lover in peaceful slumber.


End file.
